Microsoft to ship new first-party game on Xbox Game Pass every quarter as momentum grows

Microsoft is going all-in on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming this year, as CEO Satya Nadella and Xbox head Phil Spencer have just announced some pretty exciting news this morning. Microsoft’s cloud gaming service is coming soon to TVs, PCs, and iOS devices, and the Xbox Cloud Gaming servers are also being upgraded with Xbox Series X hardware, a process that’s now almost complete.

As for Xbox Game Pass, the company didn’t share an update on its 18 million subscribers number from January, but the company is planning to grow its subscription service by releasing new first-party exclusive games on Xbox Game Pass more regularly going forward. “With more than 23 studios worldwide creating games for Xbox, our goal is to release at least one new, first party game into Game Pass every quarter. Role playing games, shooters, strategy titles, adventure games, and more are all being built by our first party teams to ensure that there is a steady stream of compelling exclusive content to explore,” the company said today.

To grow the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers, Microsoft is also working on new tiers that could make the service even more accessible for gamers. “Xbox is exploring new subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass so more players around the world can experience the most immersive and fun games across devices, geographies, and financial realities,” the company said today, without sharing further details.

Microsoft is also teaming up with telecommunications companies to create new offerings similar to Xbox All Access, which currently allow consumers to get an Xbox console and an Xbox Game Pass subscription for a low monthly price. “I think we are going to get to a point where the majority of Xbox users are signing up for Game Pass,” Xbox head of game creator experiences Sarah Bond told Axios.

If gaming subscription services like Xbox Game Pass are still pretty new, Microsoft has new data to show that it can be a great opportunity for game developers and publishers. “Whether it’s purchasing games inside or outside of what’s available in the library, or purchasing additional content for the games they like, members spend 50% more than non-members,” the Xbox team explained today.

Microsoft also confirmed today that Xbox Game Pass members play 30% more genres and play 40% more games, and publishers willing to launch their new games on day one on Xbox Game Pass can really benefit from the bigger exposure. There are two recent examples with Square Enix’s Outriders, which was the #1 selling digital game on Xbox during its launch week and a top 10 selling digital game on Xbox in the month of April. MLB: The Show 21 was also the #1 selling paid game on Xbox in April, and the second biggest sports game of all time on Xbox.

Digital pre-orders open for Battlefield 2042 video game on Xbox Series X and Xbox One

Battlefield 2042 was officially unveiled earlier this week and digital pre-orders for the upcoming first-person shooter are now live in the Microsoft Store for Xbox consoles.

The game is currently set for release on October 22nd later this year and will come in completely separate versions for the last-gen Xbox One family of consoles and the current-gen Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

While in-game content will be fairly similar between the two versions, the current-gen (Xbox Series X) version will support online multiplayer matches with up to 128 players while the last-gen (Xbox One) version will be limited to 64-player matches.

The Xbox One version of Battlefield 2042 is currently priced at $59.99 while the Xbox Series X version is $69.99. Gold and Ultimate Edition bundles containing both versions and some additional content are also up for pre-order at $99.99 and $119.99 respectively.

It’s important to emphasise that, while the Xbox One version is playable on the Xbox Series S and X consoles, doing so won’t unlock the higher player count. Nor will playing the Xbox One version on an Xbox Series X unlock the current-gen version for free. The two versions are completely separate products.

More details on Battlefield 2042 will be revealed on June 13th with the title expected to be featured in Microsoft’s E3 Xbox and Bethesda-themed presentation.

Are you hyped for Battlefield 2042? Which version are you going to pre-order? Sign off in the comments below and then follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more Xbox gaming news.


Battlefield™ 2042 Xbox One
Battlefield™ 2042 Xbox One



Fallout 76, Ark, and Football Manager are free to play on Xbox consoles this weekend

Three Xbox video games will be free to play this weekend beginning today. Ark: Survival Evolved and Football Manager 2021 Xbox Edition will both be playable from today until Sunday, June 13th at 11:59PM PDT while Fallout 76 will unlock today at 9AM PDT and remain playable for free until Wednesday, June 16th at 9:00AM PDT.

The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase is currently scheduled for June 13th so it’s likely that, with Fallout 76 being a Bethesda title, some new content will be announced (or launched) next week and the ongoing free play promotional period will be used to help build hype for whatever is revealed.

As with previous free play promotions, each title will be available to play in full on Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles as if they were owned outright and all progress will be saved to the cloud for continuing at a later date.

Which Xbox game will you play this weekend? Let us know in the comments below and then follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more Xbox gaming news.

Fallout 76
Fallout 76
Developer:
Bethesda Softworks
Price:
Free



5 Best Home Firewall Devices With VPN

A firewall is a security network that monitors and filters all the data traffic coming into a device. This type of security is also called packet filtering.

We all know about the Windows firewall, however, this is an entirely separate thing that is usually installed in a standalone device, and covers multiple connected PCs.

Having a firewall device is one of the best ways to protect your home network, and in this guide, we’ll show you the best home firewall with a VPN that you can get.

There are many great firewall devices for home networks, but not all of them offer a VPN, which can be a problem, especially if you’re concerned about your online privacy.

VPNs will hide your real IP address, thus protecting your identity, location, and data from being accessed by hackers and harmful software.

By using a firewall device, you’ll ensure that all network devices are protected, and with VPN support, you’ll also protect the privacy of every device in your network.

What is the best home firewall with VPN for your network?

Cisco RV160W

  • 4 Gigabit ports
  • VPN throughput 50Mbps
  • 802.11ac 2×2 standard
  • Support for 10 IPSec VPN Tunnels
  • Simple to configure
  • Wi-Fi can be slow for some users

This router comes with 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The device also supports a guest network feature, allowing you to isolate your home network from guests.

Cisco RV160W supports VPN, so it can protect the privacy of all your network devices. Thanks to the Cisco Umbrella features, this router should stop any breaches while without jeopardizing your privacy.

The device has a single Ethernet/SFP WAN port and with simple to use the web and network management tools, you can easily configure your network and protect your home from all online threats.

Additionally, the device has built-in security such as Cisco Umbrella, which mitigates breaches while protecting the network’s privacy.

Choosing this product will also give you limited lifetime warranties and customer support to ensure you are pleased and solve any possible problem.

Customize switching, routing, and other wireless services easily to better help your business at any stage. This specialized router was made for companies and workers.

Moreso, the product’s interface is comprehensive, simple, and easy to use by anyone, without the need for background knowledge.

Linksys WRT3200ACM

  • Open-source firmware
  • VPN support
  • Dedicated phone app
  • Dual-band Wi-Fi
  • Parental controls
  • Minor issues with overheating for some users

If you need a home firewall with a VPN, you might want to consider Linksys WRT3200ACM. This router comes with 4 Ethernet ports, 2.4GHz up to 600Mbps, and 5GHz up to 2600Mbsp Wi-Fi.

Thanks to the open-source firmware, you can easily configure your router to work as a VPN, turn it into a web server, manage the network traffic or use it to detect network intrusions.

Managing your router is rather simple, and you can do it with a dedicated iOS/Android app. You can also use the app to configure device priority or to restrict Internet access with parental controls.

The Tri-Stream 160 technology boosts your bandwidth, resulting in the fastest 5GHz band that delivers insanely fast speeds and uninterrupted connections.

More so, you will benefit from such bandwidth speeds on multiple connected devices without noticing a change. All of these are possible thanks to the Dynamic Frequency Selection.

Advanced users can actually fully customize the router since it has open-source code. Modify everything regarding the product to suit your needs.

The enterprise-grade 1.8 GHz processor has no problem handling even the heaviest traffic and delivering the lowest possible latencies.

TP-Link TL-R605

  • Support for VPN
  • Omada SND
  • Cloud-based Controller
  • Five Gigabit ports
  • Powerful firewall and filtering feature
  • No built-in Wi-Fi

This router comes with 1 Gigabit WAN port, 3 Gigabit WAN/LAN ports, and a single Gigabit LAN port. The device has a built-in firewall, as well as DoS defense, and IP/MAC/URL filtering.

TP-Link TL-R605 supports up to 20x Lan-to-LAN IPsec, 16x OpenVPN, 16x L2TP, and 16x PPTP VPN connections. Thanks to the auto IPSec VPN, you can easily protect all devices in your network.

Bandwidth control and Session Limit feature are also available allowing you to easily manage and optimize your bandwidth and make sure that your network is working without any slowdowns.

THe Omada SDN fully integrates network devices with multiple control options available. These devices include gateways, APs and switches, hardware and software controllers

Deploy and configure multi-site networks remotely with the Zero Touch Provisioning, while the AI-Driven technology brings better maintenance and network performance.

Enjoy flexible traffic with the bandwidth control and session limiter, which enable free management of the internet traffic inside the business.

The TP-Link TL-R605 also has a compact design covered with a durable metal case to prevent dents and other physical problems in case of accidents.

ZyXEL USG20W-VPN

  • 1x Gigabit WAN port, 4x Gigabit LAN ports, 1x Gigabit SFP port
  • VPN up to 90Mbps, support for IPsec/L2TP, SSL
  • High-performance SPI firewall
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi with dual-band support
  • Easy to use browser-based configuration
  • Firewall interface could use some improvement

Another great home firewall with VPN support is ZyXEL USG20W-VPN. The device has 1 Gigabit WAN port and 4 Gigabit LAN ports, as well as one SFP Gigabit Fiber port.

Regarding Wi-Fi, this router has 802.11ac Wi-Fi with single-radio dual-band support. VPN is available, and it supports IPsec/L2TP up to 10 connections, and SSL up to 5 connections.

As for the VPN speed, you can achieve up to 90Mbps. In terms of firewall, there’s a 350Mbps SPI firewall which should be perfect for home users or small offices.

The product is not only a firewall. It also provides business with a reliable and trustful VPN. The combination will keep a network safe from any harmful software.

The USG20W-VPN firewall supports mobile devices as well, with 2 Layer-2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) which is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows.

Additionally, the ZON Utility tool will speed up the network set-up process, and the One Network doesn’t require network deployment and management from the users.

This results in a simplified configuration and troubleshooting of problems, which allows the businesses to allocate this saved time to more important tasks.

Firewalla Red

  • Easy to install and use
  • IPS and IDS functionality up to 100Mbps
  • Offers protection malware protection for all network devices
  • Parental controls
  • OpenVPN support
  • Not compatible with all routers

This firewall device comes with IPS functionality up to 100Mbps and its own IDS. Using these features, all network devices in your home will be protected against online threats.

This includes viruses, malware, hacking attacks, phishing attempts, and data theft. For extra privacy, you can use OpenVPN to protect all devices in your network.

With the Firewalla Red dedicated app, you can easily monitor bandwidth usage by device, and limit network usage or block certain websites thanks to the built-in Parental Control feature.

Firewalla Red is a simple to use, easy to set up device that provides multiple means to connect to it from multiple platforms and devices.

This small box is fully packed with all the necessary tools to give you full control over your home network. All you have to do is plug it into your router.

Enjoy premium cybersecurity by simply clicking a few buttons. This product makes everything seem like a breeze, with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

Benefit from parental control features to protect and monitor your children’s data usage, as well as prohibit a harmful website from being accessed.

Why should I use a Firewall device?

Having a hardware firewall is the best method to protect your network against all online threats, and we hope that this guide helped you find the right device for your needs.

In a sense, you should see the Firewall as a literal obstacle that stands between the Internet source and your device. The process is pretty simple.

First, the internet provider sends data to your device. That said that travels to your Firewall adapter, where it gets filtered after its algorithms deal with any suspicious activity.

The filtered data leaves the device and goes directly into your PC, or to a router. To better understand this process, here is a simple diagram briefly explaining how it works:

Coupled with other security measures, such as antiviruses, VPNs, adblockers, and being cautious, this formula will keep you safe from malicious software while using the internet.

Does the range of my router matter?

Yes, the range of your router is really important. The further it reaches, the better. When you get away from your router, not only will your connection be weaker, but your Internet speed will be decreased as well.

Additionally, take into account the fact that Wi-Fi signals can be prohibited by walls and other materials they pass through.

Usually, the signal goes through most walls and obstacles. However, if the wall is really thick, or it’s made of reinforced concrete, some of the signals will be lost.

Fortunately, there are ways to bypass this problem. Wi-Fi extenders are specialized devices that extend the Wi-Fi signal. They’re very popular, especially in large companies.

Should I use Ethernet, or Wi-Fi?

Ethernet will always be faster than Wi-Fi, and more stable as well. However, you need to constantly keep the cable connected to the device.

This is really inconvenient because it stops you from moving freely with the device. It also won’t be able to connect to tablets or mobile devices, since most of them don’t have compatible ports.

In short, Ethernet is great for PCs, since you usually don’t move them around after setting them up. If you prefer using laptops or other mobile devices, Wi-Fi is the way.

Since we are talking about security, you should know that you also need strong antivirus software. Take a look at this great list of the best antivirus tools with lifetime license and choose from there.

What home firewall with VPN do you currently use? Let us know in the comments section below.

FIX: My printer cannot be set as default, error 709

Error 0x00000709 is a printer error that numerous users have posted about on the Microsoft support forum. Affected users can’t configure their printers to be the default ones when that error arises.

One user’s forum post stated.

I cannot set any printer as default printer. An error message appears, error 0X00000709. That error message states, “Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000709).”

You can easily fix this issue by following the steps below, so be sure to keep reading.

How can I fix the printer error 709?

1. Update your printer drivers

  1. Go to Windows Settings
  2. Open Update & Security
  3. Click on the Windows Update section
  4. Select Check for updates
  5. Click on the suitable printer drivers to automatically install them

This error message might appear due to faulty printer drivers that are outdated or damaged. Here’s how you can install the latest drivers using Windows Update.

An easier solution would be to use a reliable third-party tool that downloads and installs the latest printer drivers automatically.

2. Run the printer troubleshooter

  1. Press the Windows key + S, and enter troubleshooter in the search box.
  2. Click the Troubleshoot settings to open the window in the snapshot directly below.The Troubleshoot tab my printer cannot be set as default
  3. Select the Printer troubleshooter, and then click the Run the troubleshooter button.
  4. Thereafter, the Printer troubleshooter window will open. Select the printer to fix, and click the Next button.The Printer troubleshooter my printer cannot be set as default
  5. Then go through the troubleshooter’s suggested resolutions.

Windows 10’s Printer troubleshooter might (or may not) come in handy for fixing error 0X00000709, so be sure to follow the above steps.

3. Turn off a specific setting option

  1. Open Settings by pressing the Windows key + I.
  2. Select Devices in Settings.
  3. Next, click Printers & scanners on the left of the window.
  4. Deselect the Allow Windows to manage my default printer option.Printers & scanners tab my printer cannot be set as default

If the Printer troubleshooter doesn’t fix 0X00000709, try turning off the Allow Windows to manage my default printer setting.

4. Edit the Registry

  1. Press the Windows key + R, type regedit in Run, and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
  2. Next, open to this registry path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft>Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WindowsThe Windows key my printer cannot be set as default
  3. Click the Windows key on the left of the Registry Editor.
  4. Double-click the Device string to open the window in the snapshot directly below.Edit String window my printer cannot be set as default
  5. Edit the value data by erasing everything in that box before ,winspool,Ne00:, but do not delete the ,winspool,Ne00: part. Value data box my printer cannot be set as default
  6. Enter the required printer name (to set as default) before ,winspoolt,Ne00, and then click the OK button.
  7. A Cannot edit device dialog box might appear for some users. If so, right-click the Windows key that includes the Device string, and select Permissions.
  8. Select the Allow Full Control checkbox shown directly below. The Full Control check box my printer cannot be set as default
  9. Press the Apply button, and select the OK option.

Editing the Device string within the Registry Editor is among the most widely confirmed fixes for error 0x00000709.

We’ve written extensively on printer problems, so be sure to check out our helpful guide for other setting default printer issue and fix it in no time.

We hope that these recommendations from our list helped you to fix the 0X00000709 printer error. For more suggestions or other questions, please access the comments section below.

Visio coming to Microsoft 365 with new lightweight web app

Microsoft has announced that it is launching a lightweight Visio web app for Microsoft 365 commercial customers. As of today, the professional diagramming tool is only available as a standalone application, but the company plans to begin rolling out a lightweight version of the app in July.

“Visio has long been available only as a standalone app for purchase for people with specialized diagramming needs. But this is changing. We are recognizing an increasing need for a diagramming solution for everyone to convey information more effectively, which is why we’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing core Visio capabilities to Microsoft 365 for all commercial license subscribers,” explained Seth Patton, GM, Microsoft 365 at Microsoft.

A screenshot of an org chart in Excel created with the Visio Data Visualizer add-in

Microsoft Visio allows users to create professional Visio diagrams effortlessly, and it includes several popular diagram templates such as process diagrams and basic flowcharts. The online tool provides seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 products, including Microsoft Teams.

The new web-based Visio application will be accessible from Office Online, and it will offer a collaborative diagramming experience by allowing business users to create, edit and share diagrams with their colleagues. The app will be available for all business users with Microsoft 365 Business/Office 365 E1/E3/E5, F3, A1, A3, A5 licenses at no additional cost, and you can find the full list here.

Microsoft noted that only a limited number of Microsoft 365 commercial customers would get early access to this new lightweight Visio web app, and it is not yet available in the E.U. The company plans to expand its availability to more users gradually. If you’re interested, we invite you to check out the “Visio for everyone” podcast to learn more about the Visio web app in Microsoft 365.

How to Install Samsung Galaxy Drivers for Windows 10

Samsung Galaxy smartphones are very popular but many of the Galaxy users are having a problem connecting their device to the Windows PC.

This issue is pretty troublesome in nature as Samsung Galaxy smartphone users will not be able to transfer data and update their device by connecting to Windows PC.

Apparently, the problem persists across all versions of the Windows. The root cause of the issue is the fact that Samsung uses proprietary USB drivers for its entire Galaxy lineup.

Since some of the models don’t sport an SD card slot it becomes all the more important for the users to be able to connect with the Windows PC.

Moreover, some of the old models like the base variant of the Galaxy S7 comes with only 32GB of internal storage from which a large chunk is already blocked by the system files.

How do I install Samsung Galaxy drivers for Windows 10?

1. Check driver updates for the USB controllers

  1. Right-click on Start and select Device Manager.
  2. Check the Universal Serial Bus controllers.
  3. If a yellow or a red X sign is displayed next to the device it needs to be updated or reinstalled.
  4. The same holds true even if the device is labeled as Other Devices or Unknown.

It is crucial to troubleshoot and see whether the driver needs a fresh install or if it just needs to be updated.

In some cases, the drivers for the Galaxy smartphones are automatically downloaded by Windows. In order to check this, follow the steps detailed above.

For an easier process of updating your drivers, you can consider using a specialized driver updater tool that can update all the drivers you need, safe and fast with just a few clicks.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

    2. Download USB Samsung drivers for Windows

    Another way to Install Samsung drivers on Windows 10 is to download them from their website. Here is how to do it.

  1. 1. Download the Samsung USB drivers.

  2. 2. Right-click on the installer file and choose the Extract here option.

  3. 3. Open the .exe file by double-clicking and Run the same.

  4. 4. The installation process should begin now click the Next button.

  5. 5. In the end, click on Finish to complete the installation.

All you need to do is download and install the specific drivers that support your Galaxy device. One can simply head over to the link above and download the drivers.

In order to transfer all the content, it is advisable that you have a micro-USB cable that supports good transfer rates. It’s recommended to use the cable that came with the phone.

After installing the drivers, you should be able to see a new media device in the computer section of your Windows. Now simply click on the icon and then transfer the data. Find the steps detailed above.

3. Install YourPhone app

  1. Download and install YourPhone app for PC.
  2. Start the app.
  3. You will be asked what type of operating system is your smartphone. Select Android.
  4. Next, you need to install Your Phone Companion on your smartphone. You also have a link provided in the app but you can find it in the Google Store as well. Check the Yes box after you’ve finished and select Open QR Code.
  5. Of course, you will now have to scan the QR code with your phone and then click on Done.
  6. Now you only need to open the app on your phone and use the same e-mail to log into your account. Your Samsung smartphone and your PC will be now paired.

It’s no secret for anybody that Microsoft and Samsung have a long-lasting deal on many levels when it comes to the mobile business.

However, for us, the simple users, the YourPhone app is the direct, accessible fruit of their collaboration.

For sort, if you have a Samsung Galaxy S9 or later model, the YourPhone app is all you need to pair it with your PC and enjoy almost all the content from your smartphone on your computer.

And with the latest iteration of the app, you can even run your favorite apps on the PC, including WhatsApp or Instagram.

You can also receive notifications and messages, see your photos or manage your calls right there in the app.

Moreover, if you have more than one Samsung smartphone, you can pair all of them and switch the right one in the app when you need to access it.

The supported smartphones list includes the latest Surface Duo, Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Note20 5G and Ultra 5G, S21 and S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G, Z Flip, Z Flip 5G, and Z Fold2 5G.

We hope that our solutions helped you pair your phone and transfer your data on your PC.

You can also use one of the best cloud backup solutions to make your data available to all your devices on the Internet.

Do you still have problems with the Samsung drivers? Tell us your story in a comment below and we will try to help you further.

Microsoft’s three ‘Experience Centers’ reopen July 1st for in-store experiences

Prior to the pandemic, Microsoft had already begun shuttering its physical retail presence as it conceded hosting an in-store experience to competitors such as Apple and Samsung, however, it seems the company may be ready to re-enter the fray.

After accelerating the closure of its physical retail presence by liquidating its locked stock and writing off the leasing contracts for physical stores last year amid the heights of COVID-19 infections and the uncertain future of in-person gatherings, Microsoft’s retail experience appeared shackled to online indefinitely.

However, The Verge is reporting that Microsoft will dip its toes back into retail efforts with its hyper curated experiences at its ‘Experience Centers’. The Microsoft ECs differ from their former retail experiences in that they are further limited in their physical presence across the globe but increases the interactivity with guest and the locations features. The now shuttered Microsoft Store retail experience was a 2/3 purchasing experience and 1/3 interactive meeting hub where coding classes, gaming events, demos and seasonal celebrations were hosted, and there were over 100 locations throughout North America, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Microsoft Experience Center Asia

Microsoft Experience Centers are flipping that dynamic to cater primarily to hosting of business customers and events, more so than selling Surface devices between the three locations in New York, Sydney, and London.

Microsoft’s reported goal is reopening its ECs as early as July 1, 2021, where it will showcase select Microsoft products excluding Xbox Series X/S consoles due to chip shortages.

Our Microsoft Experience Centers were created to provide customers a way to experience our products in person. We use these spaces to test and experiment, and continue to evolve the experience based on customer feedback. Starting July 1st, customers will be able to purchase select Microsoft products at the New York, London and Sydney locations.

-Travis Walter, Microsoft’s head of retail stores

Fix: Metal Gear Solid 5 Crashes & Other Issues on Windows 10

Metal Gear Solid 5 is the latest Metal Gear Game from the beloved franchise, and it did not fail to deliver an action-packed and story-driven product.

Since the game was a hit, lots of people picked it up to enjoy it and experience the gameplay. For the most part, everyone was pleased with it.

However, it seems that this game has some issues with Windows 10. Users have reported crashes, framerate issues, and several other problems, but today we’re going to fix all of them.

How do I fix common Metal Gear Solid 5 Problems?

1. Install the latest drivers

  1. Press the Windows Key + S and type in Device Manager.
  2. In the Device Manager, expand Display adapters.
  3. Right-click on your GPU and select Update driver.
  4. Wait for the system to finish installing the latest version, then Restart it.

Metal Gear Solid 5 fans have reported that the game stops working as soon as they launch it, and in order to fix this issue, it’s advised that you update your graphic card drivers.

To do it, you can use the Device Manager, or search the internet for the manufacturer’s site and choose the latest available version.

Note icon NOTE
We also have to mention that some users have reported issues with version 15.7.1 of the AMD driver, so if this version is giving your problems, switch to a newer one.

Update drivers automatically

Updating your drivers manually is tedious. You can also make mistakes and download the wrong versions, which will lead to even more problems.

We also recommend a third-party tool to automatically download all the necessary drivers and update your hardware accordingly.

Plus, you will update any drivers from your PC correctly, without damaging the system due to incompatible driver versions.

⇒ Fortect Driver Updater

2. Reinstall Visual C++ Redistributables

  1. Download and install the necessary files.
  2. Alternatively, go to this path: Steam\Steamapps\Common\MGS_TPP_CommonRedist
  3. Install the Visual C++ Redistributables from there.

Some users have reported an error message that says that msvcr110.dll is missing. If you’re getting this error message, you’ll need to install Visual C++ Redistributables.

3. Run the game in Windowed mode

  1. Open graphic settings.
  2. Choose Windowed Mode.
  3. Choose between Borderless Fullscreen or Windowed.
  4. Next, click Ok.

If you’re having poor performance in Metal Gear Solid 5, you might want to switch to Windowed mode. To do that, follow these steps:

Some users have also suggested that switching to Fullscreen mode fixes performance issues for them, so try doing that as well.

4. Change graphic TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG file

  1. Go to the following path: Steam\Steamapps\common\MGS_TPP
  2. Find TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG and open it with Notepad.
  3. Find the following line: "framerate_control": "Auto"
  4. Change it to: "framerate_control": "Variable"
  5. Save the changes and run the game again.

Metal Gear Solid 5 is locked at 60 frames per second, and if you have a powerful computer, you might want to play the game without frame rate restrictions. To remove the frame rate lock, do the following:

5. Update your game

It has been reported that Metal Gear Solid 5 has some issues with Phenom II processors. Luckily, developers have tackled these issues, and you can resolve them by downloading the latest update for Metal Gear Solid 5.

Depending on the platform you’re using to play the game, you should have the option to update it automatically.

6. Remove overclock settings

If Metal Gear Solid 5 is crashing on startup, this might be due to overclocking of your GPU. If you have overclocked your graphic card, you might want to remove overclock settings in order to fix this problem.

You can use the same program you used to overclock the GPU in the first place in order to underclock it back to its default state.

7. Turn off Motion blur

  1. Open the game.
  2. Go to Settings, then Video Settings.
  3. Turn of Mition Blur.

If you own an AMD graphic card, and you’re experiencing crashes while playing Metal Gear Solid 5, you might want to disable Motion blur and Camera shake options from the options menu.

8. Use a dedicated graphic card

If you own both integrated and dedicated graphics cards, make sure that you’re using the dedicated cards to get the best performance from Metal Gear Solid 5.

In order to switch from integrated to the dedicated card, use the Nvidia Control Panel or Catalyst Control Center.

9. Increase screen resolution

  1. Open the game.
  2. Go to Settings, then Video Settings.
  3. Select the Resolution and change it to a lower amount.

Users have reported Metal Gear Solid 5 black screen with a white square appears when playing Metal Gear Solid 5, and if you’re having this issue, try to increase your resolution. After doing that, the black screen issue should be fixed.

10. Check the temperature of your hardware

Users have reported that Metal Gear Solid 5 freezes on their computers, and if you’re having the same problem, you might want to check if your processor or graphic card is overheating.

To check the temperature, download SpeedFan (or any temperature monitoring software), start the temperature monitoring tool, and start the game.

If you notice unusually high graphic card or processor temperature, check your cooling. This includes your fans and your CPU‘s thermal paste.

11. Remove 287700 folder from Steam

  1. Go to the following path: C:Program Files (x86)Steamuserdata
  2. Find the 287700 folder and move it to your Desktop.
  3. By moving the folder, you’ll remove saved games for your profile.
  4. Start the game again. Your saved games will be restored, and the game should start without any problems.

It has been reported that Metal Gear Solid 5 crashes after the Nvidia screen, and if you’re having this problem, you might need to remove few folders in order to fix it. In order to fix this issue, follow these steps:

In order to complete this step, you need to have Steam Cloud turned on. This option is turned on by default in most cases unless you manually disable it.

12. Change download region in Steam

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Click File, then Settings.
  3. On the left side choose Downloads.
  4. Find the Download Region section and choose a different location from the list.
  5. In most cases, it’s best to choose a location that is closest to you.

Some users have reported that Metal Gear Solid 5 downloads slowly from Steam, and if you have a similar problem, try changing the download region in Steam. To change the download region, do the following:

13. Lower Screen Filtering

One common problem with Metal Gear Solid 5 is that characters look blurry while you play the game on Max settings.

If you have this problem, you just need to lower Screen Filtering from Very High to High and this problem should be resolved.

14. Change key assignments

It has been reported that Metal Gear Solid 5 has some issues with controllers, and according to users if you press a keyboard key, your controller will stop working.

If this happens to you, the only solution is to press Alt + Tab and restart the game. Another workaround is to assign all key commands to one key that you won’t ever press on your keyboard.

15. Install Media Feature Pack for Windows 10

If you’re getting the error saying that MFPlat.dll or mfreadwrite.dll is missing, you need to install the Media Feature pack for Windows 10. You can download the Media Feature pack for Windows 10 from Microsoft Store.

16. Check game cache, turn off your antivirus, and unplug other USB devices

  1. Open Steam and go to your game Library.
  2. Find Metal Gear Solid 5, right-click it, and from the menu choose Properties.
  3. Go to the Local tab.
  4. Click Verify integrity of game cache and wait for the process to complete.

If Metal Gear Solid 5 isn’t starting, or if you’re getting Program has stopped working error, you might need to check the game cache. To do that, follow these steps:

If the issue persists, you might want to try disabling your antivirus/firewall software. If that doesn’t help, try to unplug all USB devices that you don’t use, such as your printer, external hard drive, etc.

17. Turn off additional applications and run the game as administrator

  1. Find the game’s shortcut and right-click it.
  2. From the menu choose Run as administrator.

Sometimes Metal Gear Solid 5 can crash if certain apps are running in the background. Applications such as Dxtory,

Afterburn and FRAPS can cause Metal Gear Solid 5 to crash, so make sure that any unnecessary applications aren’t running. If that doesn’t help, try to run the game as administrator. To do that, just do the following:

18. Disable vJoy Device in Device Manager

  1. Press Windows Key + X and choose Device Manager from the list.
  2. Go to the Device Manager.
  3. Find the vJoy device in Device Manager, right-click it and choose Disable.
  4. Close Device Manager and start the game again.

Metal Gear Solid 5 has certain mouse issues, and sometimes your mouse will stop working. To fix this issue, you need to do the following:

19. Use x360ce to fix USB controller issues

It has been reported that Metal Gear Solid 5 has some issues with Xbox 360 controller and other USB controllers. If you’re having any issues with USB controllers, try using x360ce.

20. Tap WASD keys

There is a glitch that can sometimes make your character run in a random direction. This can be extremely frustrating, and to fix this, you can tap the appropriate movement key on your keyboard.

For example, if your character is moving left, press the key assigned to the move the left command. The same goes for other directions.

In addition, you can pause the game and press W, A, S, D keys on your keyboard, and unpause the game in order to fix this issue.

21. Delete the TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG file

  1. Go to the following path: C:Program Files (x86)Steamuserdata287700local
  2. Find TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG file and delete it.
  3. Restart your PC.

If you’re getting a white screen when starting Metal Gear Solid 5, you might need to delete TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG file. To do that, follow these steps:

22. Disable the Shader Cache in NVIDIA control panel

  1. Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
  2. Click Manage 3D Settings.
  3. Find Shader Cache in the right pane, and from the list choose Off.

If your game is slowing down periodically, you might need to disable Shader Cache. This also helps when nvgpucomp64.dll crashes games.

23. Double-click your mouse in game

Users have reported that their mouse appears in-game while they are playing, and this can be distracting. To fix this problem, you just need to double-click your mouse and in most cases, this issue will be fixed.

Are you having problems buying games on Steam? Follow the instructions in this thorough guide dedicated to fixing failed Steam transactions and learn how to deal with the problem.

Metal Gear Solid 5 might be an amazing game, but it has its issues. We have covered most of these issues, and we hope that our solutions helped you fix Metal Gear Solid 5 issues on Windows 10.

You will soon be able to join FaceTime calls on your PC

FaceTime is Apple’s video calling app for all its devices, and like most of its software, it was only meant to be used within their separate environment.

They are definitely not friendly with any other systems, and we have plenty of such problems as Apple devices not being able to connect to Windows 10.

That’s why their announcement during WWDC surprised everyone. Apple’s officials said that FaceTime will be available on the web so Windows and Android users can call from their PCs and smartphones.

That means that the company is turning FaceTime into a Zoom-like application available on multiple platforms.

What are the new FaceTime features?

This new availability announcement is part of a bigger update of FaceTime. The video calling method will be similar to the one from Zoom, where you will be able to share an invitation link.

However, there are more to come for the updated app. For instance, you will be able to blur your background with the portrait mode and you will have a new grid view option.

The sound quality will also be improved with a new voice isolation feature that will bring more clarity and you will also benefit from spatial audio.

However, the most important update for FaceTime is the new SharePlay feature. You will be able to meet with your peers in a call and watch or listen to the same video or song.

You will be able to just share the content from a lot of sources including HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, Twitch, and the Apple on-demand services by dragging it onto your screen and sharing it.

When is the new FaceTime coming?

Unfortunately, Apple didn’t specify a certain date for the release, but FaceTime’s updates are related to iOS updates so, they will probably do it this fall, together with iOS 15.

With these exciting announcements, Apple is definitely trying to get some of the traction that other video calling apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom got during this pandemic.

Not long ago, Microsoft Teams has also seen some important improvements so it’s obvious that these services certainly still have reasons to grow.

However, FaceTime will probably appeal more to non-business users and the SharePlay feature is clearly meant to become the next hangout place for you and your friends.

What do you think about Apple’s new move with FaceTime? Tell us your opinion in a comment below.

FIX: Dragon Age: Inquisition lag/stutter & other errors

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a very popular game, which received numerous praises for story, graphics, etc.

But at the same time, the game also received numerous critics from users and testers for its various technical issues.

Users are constantly complaining about the problems in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and we’re going to try to solve at least some of them.

So if you’re also experiencing problems with Dragon Age: Inquisition on your Windows 10 PC, we hope this article will be at least of some help.

How do I fix Dragon Age: Inquisition errors on Windows 10?

1. DirectX crashes while playing game

If you receive an error which says that DirectX causes problems, just simply reinstall it. Also, if you didn’t update your graphics card drivers, DirectX might conflict with it.

The first solution is to check if your graphics card driver is up-to-date. For that, we recommend you a great tool to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC.

2. World state saves from the Keep are not importing

This error might occur if you’re not properly signed to servers. So make sure you’re properly connected to both Origin and BioWare servers, and try to import your saves once again.

Also, there’s a possibility that your antivirus software is blocking the access, so go to your antivirus program, and exclude antivirus protection from Origin.

Since Origin is a certified platform, you should not fear about your security, even if the antivirus is disabled for it.

3. Graphics card issues in Dragon Age: Inquisition

  1. Go to Origin, select the Application settings.
  2. Navigate to the Origin In-Game tab, and disable it.
  3. Disable other programs that have a game overlay.

A lot of issues in the game could be caused by the graphics card, like stuttering, freezing, hitching, crashing, terrible FPS, and more.

Some users suggest that using Origin in game can cause the problem with graphics. So, try disabling it, and check if the problem still appears.

If you’re using an NVidia GPU, maybe your graphics card is overheating, and that causes problems with the game.

So, check out your GPU temperature with programs like GPU Temp, and if the temperature is higher than 65-70 degrees, try increasing a fan speed.

4. Black screen issues in Dragon Age: Inquisition

Some users suggest that the problem with black screen can be solved by toggling the game into windowed mode.

To do so, just press Alt + Tab, and after that, switch the game back to full screen mode, and the black screen problem should be solved.

5. Players spawning under the world in multiplayer

This is another commonly reported issue that often bothers players of Dragon Age: Inquisition.

EA still doesn’t have a proper solution for this problem, as it advises players to just exit the match, and try to log in again. Although the company promised a fix, users are still facing this bug.

6. Avoid Patches

  1. Open Origin.
  2. Go to the Applications settings, and then to the Application tab.
  3. Uncheck the Automatic game updates option.
  4. Restart Origin.
  5. Go to offline mode (Origin, select Go offline).

This might sound unreasonable, since patches are being released to actually solve bugs and issues, but many users reported that certain issues occurred after installing a patch.

So sometimes, the best option is to actually avoid a patch. To prevent Dragon Age: Inquisition from installing a patch, just follow the above steps.

Next time you launch the game, you will be able to play it without installing updates.

However, if you have already installed a patch, you can try to roll back to the original version of the game, and see if the error that bothered you when the patch was installed still occurs.

To roll back to the original version of Dragon Age: Inquisition, do the following:

  1. Before you start, make a backup of your saves, just in case.
  2. Repeat steps 1-3 from above.
  3. Uninstall the game (go to Control Panel, select Programs and Features, and uninstall it from there).
  4. Restart your PC.
  5. Reinstall the game.
  6. Repeat steps 3-5 from above.

If a patch was indeed a cause of the problem, running the unpatched version of the game might eliminate all the issues, so you’ll be able to play the game normally, again.

We’ve written more about the Dragon Age Inquisition crash on startup issues and how you can fix them in no time, so be sure to take a closer look.

If you encountered some other issue while playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, feel free to write us in the comments section below, it will surely help other players to solve their problems with this game.

Avast Won’t Open in Windows: Why & How to Fix

Have you tried to install Avast Antivirus on your new Windows 10 computer? Sometimes users may encounter some serious issues with the software Windows 10.

The most annoying of them is the fact that this tool does not recognize the Windows system files as part of the operating system and tries to delete them.

This article will show you how to fix Avast issues on Windows 10 and what version of the antivirus to install.

Avast is one of the most popular antivirus programs out there. Many users who were using it on previous versions of Windows installed it on Windows 10, as well.

But even if this antivirus solution is fully compatible with Windows 10, some errors may still occur. In this article, we’ll list the most common issues reported by users as well as their corresponding solutions.

It is worth mentioning that oftentimes users experience BSoD errors after installing the latest Windows 10 version on their computer.

This problem occurs due to incompatibility issues between Avast drivers and some CPU models. To avoid this problem, install the latest antivirus version before upgrading your PC to the latest OS version.

For other Avast issues, follow the instructions listed below. We hope these solutions will be helpful to you.

What can I do if Avast is not running on Windows 10?

  1. Windows 10 Action Center doesn’t recognize Avast
  2. Avast causes black screen in Windows 10
  3. Process Trust error during Avast installation
  4. Avast Antivirus won’t update
  5. Avast won’t start

1. Windows 10 Action Center doesn’t recognize Avast

  1. Right-click on the Avast icon in your taskbar.
  2. Go to Avast shields control and choose Disable for 10 minutes.
  3. After that, enable it again the same way, and selecting Enable all shields.

This should help Windows 10 recognize Avast, and the above-mentioned messages shouldn’t bother you anymore.

  1. But if the issue is still present, open the search bar and type cmd.
  2. Choose Command Prompt (Admin).
  3. In the Command Prompt type the following command and hit Enter:  winmgmt /verifyrepositoryavast antivirus windows 10
  4. If you get WMI repository is consistent -no problems detected, type the next command and press Enter: winmgmt /resetrepository
  5. If you get WMI repository is inconsistent -problems detected, type another command and press Enter: winmgmt /salvagerepository
  6. If you get WMI repository has been salvaged – WMI repository has been successfully rebuilt, continue to the last step.
  7. Now reset your PC.

One of the most frequent issues with Avast on Windows 10 is when the Action Center doesn’t recognize Avast.

If that happens, you’ll probably receive a pop-up message saying: Windows Defender and Avast Antivirus are both turned off, or Windows did not find an antivirus program.

Fortunately, there’s an easy solution for this. You just need to follow the steps above to rebuild the WMI repository.

2. Avast causes black screen in Windows 10

  1. Click on the Avast icon in the taskbar and open Avast user interface.
  2. Go to Settings tab, and then to General.
  3. Go to the Exclusions options, click add and add the following address to exclusions:
    C:\Windows\Explorer.exe

    and

    C:\Windows\ImmersiveControlPanelSystemSettings.exe
  4. Restart your PC.

Some users also reported that installing Avast on Windows 10 caused black screen issues. This is not a common issue, but if you experienced it, you can try the above solution.

After that, you shouldn’t face the issue anymore. But if you do, maybe the problem is not related to Avast, so I recommend you to check our dedicated article for additional solutions.

3. Process Trust error during Avast installation

This error message sometimes appears when you’re trying to install Avast on Windows 10.

Namely, you’ll get Process Trust fatal error pop-up message saying Avast doesn’t trust Avast Installer. This means that you cannot install Avast on your computer.

The error appears due to a conflict between Avast and your current antivirus program. So, just disable your current antivirus (in most cases this is Windows Defender) and try to install Avast again.

This time, you shouldn’t experience any problems. This error will remind you that having two antivirus programs installed on your computer is not a good thing.

Also, take a closer look at our detailed guide if Windows 10 prevents the antivirus installation, and fix it in no time.

4. Avast Antivirus won’t update

4.1 Update your OS

  1. Go to the Settings app, and select the Update & Security.
  2. Click on Windows Updates from the left pane, then select the Check for updates button.check for updates
  3. Install all the available updates.

Running outdated Windows versions may prevent other apps and programs from running properly.

4.2 Temporarily disable your firewall/ VPN

  1. Go to Start and type firewall.
  2. Double-click on Windows Firewall.
  3. Click on the options Turn Windows Firewall on and off.windows firewall disable

Sometimes, your Windows firewall may prevent you from installing the latest software updates on your machine.

4.3 Clean boot your computer

  1. Type System Configuration in the search box, and hit Enter.
  2. On the Services tab select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, then click Disable all.
  3. On the Startup tab click on Open Task Manager.
  4. In Task Manager select all items, and click Disable.disable startup programs
  5. Close the Task Manager.
  6. On the Startup tab of the System Configuration dialog box, click OK.
  7. Restart your PC, and try to update Avast.

This solution allows you to start Windows 10 using a minimal set of programs and drivers. Software conflict may also block Avast updates. 

Sometimes, Avast may fail to update its virus definitions. This is quite a major issue, but you can use our detailed guide to fix the problem.

5. Avast won’t start

  1.  Go to Start and type control panel.
  2.  Launch Control Panel and go to Programs.
  3. Choose Uninstall a program.Uninstall_Control_panel
  4. Select Avast, then Repair.
repair avast windows 10

If Avast fails to load, you can try to repair the software. When the process is completed, you can restart your computer and check if the issue persists.

That’s all, we hope this article covered all the major Avast errors that you may get in Windows 10, and that it helped you solve them, as well.

We also recommend that you always keep an eye on the best cybersecurity solutions. You can choose your favorite from our list of the best antivirus tools with lifetime license without such bugs.

If you have additional questions regarding this subject, drop us a line in the comments section below, and we will help you further as soon as possible.

5 best load balancer solutions for a stable network traffic

Load balancing refers to the process of spreading a network service load among multiple servers/systems.

A software-based load balancing tool is able to make sure that you get the maximum service availability by offering network traffic distribution services.

For instance, if your business has a primary business domain, you will want your website to be available to your current and potential customers 100% of the time.

We gathered five of the best load balancers for Windows 10 that you will be able to use for your servers or your home network.

Check out their sets of features to make a well-informed decision.

What are the best load balancing tools for Windows?

Network Manager

Load balancing allows network loads to be split between multiple Network Interface Cards based on various algorithms.

Each one of the IP sessions will be treated individually before deciding the path, and this means that a single IP connection is not able to be split during the process. Only multiple connections can be separated.

Each network adapter in Windows 10 comes with two metric values that are automatically assigned to it by the operating system.

This depends on the connection’s performance, interface metric, and also the default gateway metric. The network adapter with the smallest route metric will get all the traffic.

It’s also important to note that if multiple network adapters are manually configured using the same route metric, the connections will go through the one which has less traffic load.

You can find more about load balancing in Windows using Network Manager, and you can try this yourself to see how it works.

Here’s how you configure identical cost metrics on more NICs Network Manager:

  • You have to click on the Control Panel button in the gadget
  • Click on Tools and then Load Balancing
  • Click on the Windows tab
  • Enter the metrics value that you want to use; you can also leave the default values and then click on Apply
  • Wait for the program to refresh, and you are good to go

⇒ Get Network Manager

Evidian SafeKit

The SafeKit farm cluster from Evidian can implement a network load balancing cluster among several servers.

This will offer users one of the most straightforward solutions to critical application scalability and high availability.

In a network, the same app runs on each server, and the distribution of network activity will balance the load.

SafeKit software can save the cost of complicated load balancers making things easier for the users. It will not require any specific servers above the farm to implement the network load balancing cluster.

Check out more in-depth details about the network load balancing cluster on Windows and on how the SafeKit farm cluster works by heading over to Evidian’s official website and taking a look over there.

Here are some essential features that are included in SafeKit:

  • SafeKit offers a generic farm module on Windows and Linux in order to build a network load balancing cluster
  • You will be able to write your own farm module for your app starting from the generic farm module
  • You can also implement a mirror cluster that offers real-time replication and failover

⇒ Get Evidian SafeKit

NGINX and NGINX Plus

Using NGINX and NGINX Plus, you will be able to scale out your applications and distribute the workload evenly across multiple servers. If we’re referring to a web app, HTTP requests are load-balanced across more app servers.

If you did not know, there are two primary advantages that come packed with load balancing.

One of them is to scale out and handle more users than you would be able to do with a single server.

And the other benefits refer to redundancy – if a server fails, there will be others left available to make sure that the app stays online.

To find out more details about NGINX software we recommend that you head over to the official website because there are lots of data and information listed for users to better understand how things work.

But for now, take a look at the main features and benefits that come with using NGINX/NGINX Plus:

  • Both open source NGINX and NGINX Plus are able to load balance HTTP, UDP, and TCP traffic
  • NGINX Plus extends the open-source NGINX with enterprise-grade load balancing that includes active health checks, session persistence, additional metrics and more
  • For managing your home network, we recommend using the open source NGINX because it will be enough
  • NGINX Plus can automatically apply a wide range of enhancements to an HTTP transaction, and these optimizations include HTTP upgrades and transformations such as response caching and content compression

⇒ Get NGINX

KEMP’s Free LoadMaster

KEMP’s Free LoadMaster is an advanced application delivery controller. KEMP offers this free LoadMaster in order to help small companies and developers as well by providing them with a compelling load balancing option.

If their load balancing needs growing and expanding, users will get the chance to upgrade to a commercial version after they get the hang of how LoadMaster works.

On the official website of KEMP, you will be able to find a comparison between the Free LoadMaster and the Commercial LoadMaster’s features just to find out which one works best for your needs.

Take a look at the main features and benefits that you will be able to enjoy if you choose LoadMaster:

  • This is a tremendous free load balancer that is created by a well-established company
  • It will enable lots of start-ups and QA/Dev teams to focus on their tasks at hand without having to worry about addressing the trade-off between quality, cost, and upgradeability that are usually associated with some other open source and app-embedded load balancing solutions that you can currently find

⇒ Get Free LoadMaster

Snapt

Snapt is a load balancer and web accelerator that will definitely help you supercharge your network. This is one of the best application firewall options for DevOps, cloud and also virtualized deployments.

Check out more great features that are packed in Snapt by heading over to its official website.

Take a look at the best features that are included in Snapt:

  • Snapt was built because its developers felt that the application delivery software solutions which were already on the market were just not good enough
  • Snapt develops high-end solutions for app delivery, and this excellent software is designed to solve various needs of the users
  • Using Snapt, you will be able to accelerate your website with the robust HTTP/S web accelerator
  • You can offload your servers and enhance page load times
  • You will also be able to stay online under pressure using the load balancer and at the same time enjoy high visibility, reporting, alerts and more
  • You can also use the Snapt GSLB to rout traffic intelligibility throughout the world
  • Using Snapt, you will be protected against SQL injections, leaks, and more thanks to its Snapt WAF feature

⇒ Get Snapt

These are our five picks for the best current solutions that you have available for load balancing in Windows.

You might also be interested to explore our list including the best tools to inspect network traffic and get a better picture of this aspect.

Make sure to check out their complete sets of features and advantages in order to be able to make the best decision for your skills and needs.

Did you decide on one of the listed products? If you also have other proposals that you’ve tested, let us know in the comments section below.

Sound off: What’s your Windows Event mood?

This morning, noted Microsoft watcher/Tweeter WalkingCat summed up his mood regarding the June 24th Windows event:

We laid out some of our expectations/questions last week, and just posted a Twitter poll where you can vote on what you think will happen:

As of now, while there’s lots of speculation, no one outside of Panos Panay’s team really knows what’s going to happen. That doesn’t stop us (or you!) from taking some guesses on what June 24th will bring. Take the poll, and sound off in the comments below – what are you expecting from the June 24th Windows event?

(note, due to an unintentional glitch here at OnMSFT, some of the comments on our original announcement post and our follow-up 10 questions post were lost, please sound off again if we lost your comment!)

Microsoft Teams rolls out new reporting dashboard for meetings and webinars

Microsoft Teams is getting a new attendee reporting dashboard that will allow organizers to view webinar registration and meeting attendance data in a separate tab. Last week, Twitter user Rannei spotted that the feature is currently rolling out in the public preview version of Teams.

The reporting dashboard provides a snapshot of important data to meetings and webinar hosts in a dedicated tab within the detail section. These details include attendance data for meetings as well as registration and attendance information for Webinars. This change will enable meeting organizers to view the attendance report without downloading the CSV file in the app.

Keep in mind that this feature will be disabled by default, and Office 365 admins will be able to enable it manually by turning on the AllowEngagementReport policy. To do so, IT admins will need to run the following command in PowerShell:

  • Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy -AllowEngagementReport Enabled

The new attendance dashboard experience could help organizers to understand attendee participation during webinars and meetings. The feature is rolling out gradually to all desktop users, and it is expected to be generally available by the end of August 2021. Let us know in the comments down below if you have already received this update on your PCs.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 launches with aliens, Superman, and Rick and Morty content

The Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 update has rolled out to Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles, Windows 10 PCs, and all other supported platforms and matchmaking has now begun.

This new season of content follows through with the recent Fortnite UFO teasers and revolves around a full on alien invasion on Fortnite’s Battle Royale island. The new Battle Pass features a variety of wacky and cool characters but of note is the addition of Rick (from the popular Rick and Morty cartoon series) and Superman (available in both his traditional red and blue outfit and the fan-favorite black style).

Season 7 sees the return of Battle Stars, a feature from Chapter 1 that was eventually phased out. In Chapter 2 Season 7, they can be earned by levelling up and can then be redeemed for Battle Pass rewards. This allows for a more personalized experience for Fortnite players as they’ll now be able to unlock rewards out of order as opposed to a level-by-level structure seen in recent seasons.

Players will have a while to unlock everything with Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 currently set to run until September 12th.

Are you hyped for the new season of Fortnite? Let us know what excites you the most in the comments below and then follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more gaming news.

Fortnite
Fortnite
Developer:
Epic Games Inc.
Price:
Free


Fortnite - 1,000 V-Bucks
Fortnite - 1,000 V-Bucks

Fix: Windows 10 Doesn’t Recognize Micro SD Card

There are many various errors related to Windows 10and in the past, we have covered similar errors related to SD cards not being recognized by Windows 10. Here are some fixes for Micro SD Card problems.

There are many Windows 10 users complaining about various errors and now we’re trying to come up with a fix for issues related to Micro SD Cards not being recognized.

Here’s what one of the affected users has been saying:

“Having the same issue after reinstalling win 8 because of the scorpion virus that I was unable to remove. Now I don’t recognize SD cards from my camera. Not sure that the drivers are right for the device but I haven’t figured out what they should be. Does anyone know where I would find the SD reader in device manager?”

What to do if my SD card is not recognized in Windows 10?

  1. Run the Troubleshooter
  2. Update drivers
  3. Check for Windows Updates
  4. Change drive letter
  5. Check your SD card on another PC

How do I fix the micro SD card if it’s not recognized by Windows 10?

1. Run the Troubleshooter

  1. Press the Windows Key + S and type in Troubleshooting.
  2. Click on Troubleshooting under Settings.
  3. Afterward, go to Additional troubleshooters.
    Additional troubleshooters
  4. Search for the one you need, then click on it.

2. Update drivers

  1. Download the drivers from the Manufacturer’s website and install them in compatibility mode.
  2. Right-click on the driver Setup file and select Properties, then select the Compatibility tab.
  3. Select Run this program in Compatibility mode and select the previous version of Windows supported by the software from the drop-down list.
  4. After that click on Apply and Ok, and install the driver.
  5. Then restart your computer and check if it works.

Updating drivers manually might be very annoying, so we recommend a third-party tool that can update your drivers automatically. Thus, you will prevent file loss and even permanent damage to your computer.

Not only will this software keep your drivers up to date, but it will also constantly scan for newer versions by itself, so you don’t have to worry about doing it.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

3. Check for Windows Updates

  1. Press the Windows Key + S and search for Settings.
  2. Click on Updates & Security.
  3. Then, select Windows Updates, and Check for updates.
  4. Allow the system to scan and install any necessary updates.

Sometimes all you have to do is to install the latest Windows Updates since they usually patch bugs and deal with issues.

4. Change the drive letter

  1. Go to Computer Management then Disk Management, where you will find the Card Reader.
  2. Go to Control Panel, then System and Security, and Administrative Tools.
  3. Click on Administrative Tools, then click on Computer Management.
  4. In the left panel, under Storage, click on Disk Management.
  5. Your SD card reader should show up there, so you will have to Right-click on it.
  6. Now, from the pop-up menu choose Change Drive Letter and Paths… or Add Drive Letter.
  7. Then assign it a drive letter.
  8. Your SD card reader should show up when you double-click the computer icon.
    • However, be careful, you may lose data from the SD card.

5. Check your SD card on another PC

In case you do not manage to fix the SD card not detected error on your PC, try to plug it in other PCs.We would strongly recommend trying it on a different OS, like Mac OS or Linux.

This will make sure that the problem lies within your PC, not the reader itself. If the SD card is to blame, it will not work on any device whatsoever.

You can also check out our guide on the remaining lifespan of an SD card to understand the reason behind this error.

Are you trying to use an SD card reader but it’s not working properly? Here’s a great guide dedicated to fixing the SD card reader issues once and for all.

If you can detect it there, then the problem lies in a conflict between your Windows version. In this case, you might need to take more complex actions in order to fix this issue.

How to install Windows 95 theme on a Windows 10 PC

Windows 10 provides numerous capabilities and is in no doubt one of the best operating systems ever invented.

But some users – especially those familiar with Windows 95 seem to dislike its appearance and would rather stick to the ‘old school’ but nostalgic Windows 95 desktop backgrounds.

And because Microsoft did not include a Windows 95 theme for Windows 10 during the operating system release, passionate users have been frantically searching for a solution with mixed results.

One of DeviantArt users named Kizo2703 came up with a Windows 95 like theme (Free) and most nostalgic users seem satisfied with the results.

Let’s look at the theme download and installation process below, so keep reading.

How do I install Windows 95 theme on Windows 10 PCs?

1. Use a third-party desktop customization suite

Whenever you get tired of the generic Windows 10 look and want to give it a more distinct look, be it with a Windows 95 theme or an ultra-futuristic space-ship theme, a third-party desktop customization tool can definitely come in handy.

Our recommendation software suite is made up of multiple tools that can give your PC a complete overhaul in terms of how it looks.

For example, It includes a great software which allows you to install live wallpapers and screensavers on your PC that you can create yourself.

In the case at hand, you’ll probably like how it comes with another product included, which basically can be used to give your PC an entirely new theme.

With a little bit of tweaking, it can even make it look like it is running Windows 95.

This tool can also make your PC sound like Windows 95 as well, allowing a full nostalgia package to be included in the deal.

Object Desktop

Object Desktop

Give your Windows 10 a complete upgrade (or downgrade) in the visuals department with this complete software suite!
Check priceVisit website

2. Use a custom-made Windows 10 theme

  1. Download the Windows 95 classic theme.
  2. Click the Download button at the right-hand side to initialize the download. Custom-made Windows 10 theme
  3. Extract the downloaded to your C:WindowsResourcesEaseofAccess Themes folder. Custom-made Windows 10 theme 2
  4. Go to the desktop, and right-click on an empty space.
  5. Click on Personalize and choose Theme settings.
  6. Click on the classic theme as seen under the high-contrast themes. Custom-made Windows 10 theme 3
  7. Your Desktop now changes to look very close to a Windows 95 classic desktop, despite missing the sentimental Windows 95 logo.

And you can even customize the background colors further instead of sticking with the traditional blue. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Right-click on an empty space on your desktop.
  2. Click on Personalize.
  3. Under Background, double-click your preferred background color. Your Windows 95 desktop background color will change to your new choice.How do I make Windows 10 look classic?

Now, the taskbar in Windows 10 is no longer associated with the theme function so applying the new classic theme will not impact how the taskbar looks like and the only option is playing with the high contrast settings.

How do I uninstall the Windows 95 theme from Windows 10?

  1. Navigate to the following folder: C:WindowsResourcesEaseofAccessThemes
  2. Select the classic theme.
  3. Press delete to erase it.

You delete the theme since you cannot uninstall it like conventional programs. You can now revert to the usual Windows 10 Themes.

We hope that these recommendations were helpful. What method do you prefer when you want to give your modern PC a more nostalgic feel?

Let us know which method you prefer by leaving us a message in the comments section below, and also if you have any questions or other suggestions.

How to Download Windows 11 Default Wallpapers

It’s always interesting to see how much time people are willing to spend analyzing certain pieces of information, and how far they will go in trying to prove that it was actually meant as a sign.

The same happened with the photo that Microsoft released to the public a few days ago, which shows the Windows logo with light strategically coming through it, creating an advertisement for Windows 11, some say.

The Windows 11 photo is now available as wallpaper

The photo, that looks somewhat like its showing number 11, created by the light shining through the window, is making some Windows users hunt for clues about the future of the operating system.

Therefore, people around the internet have started analyzing every pixel of Microsoft’s image, leading many to believe that it teases that the next version of the OS will be called Windows 11.

Various hypothesis arose, in which users would say that the image teasing the next generation of Windows lacks the shadow in the middle, making the blocks of light look more like the number 11.

You can imagine that, from here, it was just a small step towards internet hysteria. Now everyone is on the edge, waiting for Microsoft to release Windows 11 and blow their minds.

Will it be so? Is this a codified image purposely released just to tease the future of the OS? Or are fans a little bit too eager and see signs everywhere? We will all find out on the 24th of June, at the unveiling event, that’s for sure.

Note icon NOTE
We held an exclusive Windows 11 survey which has been compiled from the opinions of 6056 readers. They’ve completed it over the course of seven days and that’s your chance to find out how many of them are eager to fully embrace the new OS.

Where can I get this wallpaper from?

Needless to say that, since the teaser, many users have downloaded and made this image their new official wallpaper for Windows.

If you also want the image, you can now download it now from Wallpaper Hub, a website dedicated to Windows and Microsoft-related wallpapers.

Everyone is excited about the big news and the curiosity will still lead to some pretty impressive theories before it’s all played out, of that, we can all be sure.

Let’s not forget that Windows 10 is also due to receive the Sun Valley update, software changes that will give the OS a complete visual makeover. This could also be the change that the company keeps referring to.

Have you already downloaded your Windows 11 wallpaper? What is your opinion on this whole matter? Be sure to share it with us in the comments section below.

Microsoft does another servicing pipeline test with Dev Channel Insiders, more to come in the coming weeks

Microsoft has released today a new cumulative update with no changes for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. The build 21390.1000 (KB5004071) is just another servicing pipeline test, and the Windows Insider team explained today that more will come in the coming weeks before we go back to regular build flights.

“We have been testing our servicing pipeline with Cumulative Updates to the builds released to the Dev Channel. Each week, we would release a new build and then follow up with a Cumulative Update on top of that build before moving to the next build. However, we need to test the process of releasing multiple Cumulative Updates on top of each other on top of the same build. As a result of this, over the course of the next several weeks, our focus will be on releasing multiple Cumulative Updates on top of Build 21390. Having Insiders in the Dev Channel test this will be immensely helpful, and we’ll be back to flighting normally again soon,” the Windows Insider team explained today.

With Microsoft expected to unveil the next generation of Windows on June 24, it’s no surprise that Windows Insiders aren’t going to see major new features before that event. The software giant likely doesn’t want to spoil the “Sun Valley” reveal, even though traces of the design changes have already been spotted in recent Insider builds.

PowerPoint for Windows to lose Office Presentation Service as focus shifts to web-based Live Presentations

Microsoft has announced that PowerPoint for Windows is dropping support for the Office Presentation Service in favor of new web-based Live Presentations. The company has posted a message on the Microsoft 365 message center notifying that Windows users will no longer be able to broadcast their presentations from the PowerPoint desktop app starting this month.

“We will be retiring the feature ‘Office Presentation Service’ from the Windows version of PowerPoint (starting with build 16.0.14122.100000). We will be removing the ‘Office Presentation Service’ option/button from the “Present Online” menu under SlideShow ribbon in PowerPoint for Windows. Instead we recommend the utilization of “Present Live” in PowerPoint for the Web which is where we will continue to invest,” the company explained.

The soon to be unsupported Office Presentation Service was released around nine years ago. The service is freely available and requires a free Microsoft account. It allows users to present their PowerPoint presentations online to a remote audience by creating a temporary web address.

People who use the Office Presentation Service will now be able to use the new Live Presentations feature in PowerPoint for the web when presenting their content to others. The tool was announced back in June last year, and it makes it easier for the participants to engage with a presentation at their own pace. The audience can use a smartphone, laptop, or tablet to connect to the presentation and send live reactions, give feedback, or navigate back to review previous slides. They can also enable live captions and subtitles in their preferred language.

Microsoft has stated that this change is gradually rolling out to customers in the Current Channel as part of the monthly updates for PowerPoint (build 16.0.14122.100000). PowerPoint Live Presentations are supported on Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox on both Mac and Windows, and you can find more information on our detailed hands-on guide.

4 Best Software to Learn Spanish [2026 List]

Hola! This is probably the one word most people know in the Spanish language, but technology has made it possible for anyone to know it better.

Our top picks for the best software to learn Spanish looks into the content type and quality, ease of use, tools like tracking and progress reports, mobile apps, and communities for further support.

Moreover, we looked at how versatile it is for you to brush up your skills or get talking like a native in no time.

What are the best programs to learn Spanish?

This is perhaps the most popular and recognizable name when it comes to the best software to learn Spanish.

Its courses, games, and exercises are all in Spanish with no English translations acting as a guide, so you’re forced to learn words, syntax, and grammar through association, rather than using lists and drills.

Its speech recognition algorithms ensure you get pronunciations correct, plus the core lessons are coupled with fun and exciting games, a mobile app, and online tutors for a truly immersive experience.

Lessons are based on flashcards, an image-word association such that you match images to words and phrases like you did in kindergarten.

They have initial easy level lessons, and gradually you advance to harder lessons with grammar, conjugation and syntax.

Rosetta Stone also rewards you as you complete the core courses, by unlocking your ability to play BuzzBingo and Picari games which let you actualize what you’ve learned.

You can also play with other learners, read stories, and much more. To use it, you’ll need a USB headset with a microphone.

A bonus feature of this software is the Audio Companion, which has MP3 lessons you can use with any media player, sync to your smart device, and listen on the go.

The downside of this software is you don’t get to turn on subtitles or translations in English, plus you cannot change the speed with which the words and phrases are played.

The good thing is you can always schedule an online tutoring session with a native Spanish speaker for about 30 minutes and get personal help.

Rosetta Stone

Learn how to speak Spanish in a fun and creative way with this interactive software!
Check price Visit website

Ouino

This comes in a collection of five, or individually. The 5-in-1 Ouino Spanish system has individual programs that focus on different Spanish elements with vocabulary, grammar, conjugation, verbs, pronunciation and conversation.

Each of these programs has customizable features to help you adjust your own learning level, plus games and Spanish narrators to help you with the exercises.

The good thing is that, unlike Rosetta Stone, you can adjust reader speeds, the number of hints with each exercise, and the timer length for speed games.

It is also flashcard-based for vocabulary, with clear images per word, which you can always repeat or skip to your liking.

Vocabulary games like Fluency Sprint also help you answer quick fire questions with a timer, so you can test yourself like a pop quiz.

There are other games like Click-a-Pic and multiple-choice games so you can learn more nouns, verbs, and others, though these can be challenging to first-time learners.

But the software has color and voice coded answers, plus male/female speakers who read the masculine or feminine nouns to help you learn better.

Grammar lessons cover language differences between English and Spanish, so you can learn speech mechanics and how to connect words. You get hints, sound playback, multiple-choice and scrambled letters for better learning.

For conjugation, which is one of the most challenging phases, Ouino’s program helps you retain knowledge using quizzes and games so you can easily remember what you have been taught.

That also includes conversation lessons so you can call a cab, or order something in a hotel or ask for directions.

It may not have live tutors, but it has plenty of interactive lessons, audio and visual cues to help you learn Spanish fast.

There’s a mobile app if you want to learn on the go, which also saves your progress, and you can pick up from where you left off.

Ouino

Improve your Spanish vocabulary skills with this customizable and versatile software!
Check price Visit website

Fluenz

Fluenz covers much ground when it comes to lesson content, except for cultural lessons and etiquette.

Some of the lessons you can expect include travel, shopping, or how to order for something in a restaurant, with conversation-like teaching so you can learn grammar, reading, and writing, plus proper pronunciations.

Each lesson begins with your virtual guide, Sonia Gil, who sets the expectations then introduces what will be the framework for the lesson as you go along, through a conversation.

Specifically, she gives context to what you hear, gives instructions you must listen to, but you only get English subtitles once, then Spanish, then no subtitles after that.

So, you learn to hear and see words in the language that will help throughout the course.

You’ll come across matching, dictation, and speech recording, but the software gives you hints when you’re stuck, so you also need to have a pen and paper close to write what you hear.

You can even record yourself and listen to the audio so you can tell whether you’re close or completely off.

With this best software to learn Spanish, you can adjust the difficulty level so you have a variety of words to learn from, plus you can enjoy audio, visual and interactive exercises, which can be downloaded as MP3s to save on your phone or media player.

Fluenz also gives you progress reports at the end of the lesson, and you can see how you’re fairing on. You can also get support by chatting up a representative live online, but not by phone.

⇒ Get Fluenz for Spanish

Babbel

best software to learn spanish

This language learning program delivers quality courses in 13 languages, exposing its learners to much vocabulary at once, which can be quite overwhelming, but it also thoroughly reviews the words and phrases.

The lessons are taught through listening and writing, compared to speaking and reading, but its downside is it makes learning a language more challenging than it already is.

However, the material is top quality, though not an impressive interface, but it still ensures that concepts are enhanced and reinforced as you learn them.

Overall, the structure is good plus it has progress markers to track your work, and you know where to pick up where you left from.

Another plus is you are not locked into sequential learning – you can jump around the lessons, so if you start at the beginning, you can pick up a few words and move to the next lessons to your satisfaction.

Individual exercises focus more on writing, spelling and listening, with a voice-recognition system to tell if you’re repeating words accurately when prompted. It also keeps track of your progress, but if you quit, you have to start over.

Lessons take anywhere from 4 to 12 minutes to finish, but this depends on how well you know the material, but there’s a chance to repeat if you didn’t do very well.

There’s also a review manager to go over words you’ve already learned and master them.

Babbel’s flaws stem from the fact that it has no offline content or downloadable MP3 files, and to use it, you have to be online. Also, there’s no e-tutoring or live classes in webinar style. It’s a good software to start with though.

⇒ Get Babbel for Spanish

Ready to learn some Spanish? We hope that our selection of tools will help you get to the native-speaking level quickly.

You might also be interested in checking our list with the best language training software to perfect your technique.

Let us know which one you’ve used before or which one meets your needs to get started, by leaving a comment below.

Windows Virtual Desktop becomes Azure Virtual Desktop and adds new features

Windows Virtual Desktop, Microsoft’s Azure-based solution for running virtualized versions of Windows and Office is being rebranded to Azure Virtual Desktop. The name change reflects Microsoft’s broader vision for its cloud virtual desktop infrastructure, which is also getting new capabilities and pricing options for remote app streaming tailored for the hybrid workplace.

“To help our customers and partners meet these new hybrid work demands, we are expanding our vision to become a flexible cloud VDI platform for nearly any use case—accessible from virtually anywhere, explained Kam VedBrat, Partner Group Program Manager at Microsoft. “A modern VDI platform needs to be secure, scalable, and easy to manage, while delivering a seamless, high-performance experience to end users. It should also empower organizations with the flexibility to customize and build solutions with its core technology.”

Starting today, Azure Virtual Desktop customers can test managing Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session virtual machines with Microsoft Endpoint Manager. Enhanced support for Azure Active Directory is also coming soon in public preview, as well as a new QuickStart experience that will offer a streamlined onboarding experience to customers.

Create a Quickstart application

Microsoft is also introducing next year a new per-user monthly pricing option for organizations interested in providing remote app streaming to external users. The new per-user access pricing option will officially launch on January 1, 2022, and pricing will be $5.50 per user per month for apps, and $10 per user per month for apps plus desktops.

Organizations will be able to use Azure Virtual Desktop for streaming first-party or third-party applications to external users at no additional cost for a promotional period that will last from July 14, 2021, to December 31, 2021. However, organizations interested in using this new offering will need to keep paying for the underlying Azure infrastructure.

Learn to play bridge with these 3 interactive software

Bridge is a technical and complex game, with learning taking time and effort. Most of the effort, however, is to communicate with your partner correctly.

Windows Report has compiled this list of software that provides great resources and instructions for users who are willing to learn and devote time to understand the mechanics of the bridge game.

What are the best tools to learn how to play bridge?

Learn to Play Bridge with Audrey Grant

learn how to play bridge

If you want a unique software to learn to play bridge game, this software is a great start.

Learn to Play Bridge with Audrey Grant has over 20 interactive quizzes and a progress chart to track your results.

The tutorial steps are easy to use and interactive gameplay with a computer is helpful in gaining experience.

However, this software runs only on Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8. Meanwhile, you get useful insight into the workings of the game with tests coming immediately after every tutorial session.

⇒ Get Learn to Play Bridge with Audrey Grant

Learn to Play Bridge I & II

learn to play bridge software

This software is in two parts, as its name implies, which are devised to give premium knowledge of bridge. The programs were developed by Fred Gittelman, a world-class player and programmer.

Learn to Play Bridge I provides a detailed course on bridge. This helps users with no prior knowledge of the game to understand the game. The program starts from scratch with simple explanations and gameplay.

However, Learn to Play Bridge II- the second program elevates a beginner to an intermediate level with more complex learning package. 

This explores tactical aspects of the game with major emphasis on the technical aspects of bridge.

Furthermore, both programs use excellent graphics and various quizzes to engage users in accelerating learning. The program adds a fun and detailed way of learning bridge game.

⇒ Get Learn to Play Bridge I & II

Pat’s Introduction to Bridge

learn to play bridge software

Another learn to play bridge software worthy of mention is Pat’s Introduction to Bridge.

The software which is in form of an instructional CD won the American Bridge Teacher’s Association’s Software of the Year Award far back in 2009 and 2010.

If you prefer to learn at your own pace, then you can play the lesson used in the Beginner classes. Also, extra practice deals on each topic were selected from the popular Bridge Baron computer bridge program.

Meanwhile, the user-friendly app will guide you through new bidding and play techniques. In addition, end of lesson quizzes enables you to check your progress in your bridge game adventure.

⇒ Get Pat’s Introduction to Bridge

Now, you can easily learn to play bridge by using any of the software we mentioned above. Feel free to comment below.

5 Best Online Video Makers with Music & Pictures

Communication and expressing oneself has never been more accessible than nowadays. You can simply take pictures of anything and upload them to Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media.

If our lives are so heavily connected to these apps, making us share media with each other all the time, we need some tools to help us do this.

Therefore, people install many programs that let you create videos, collages, and montages from your favorite photos and memories.

Today we’re going to take it one step further and show you some awesome online video editors that will do all of those awesome things mentioned above without having to download anything!

What is the best online video maker software?

Fastreel by Movavi

Fastreel is a handy online video maker and editor software created by Movavi. Unlike other similar apps, Fastreel focuses mostly on enhancing your videos with a wide variety of tools.

First, we have to mention that Fastreel was not meant for editing pictures. You can freely upload image files and make a slideshow out of them, but you won’t be able to edit the photos and save them as JPEG or PNG and other such formats.

These tools include compression, cut, crop, merging, muting and adding music, rotating, resizing, flipping images, and the addition of text, filters, watermarks, and subtitles (from SRT files)

Additionally, Fastreel has some awesome special effects like changing the speed and reversing your video, creating loops, splitting the screen, and using stop motion.

The software lets you create slideshows and movies from scratch by uploading images in different formats, or videos, and applying music, transitions, or adding text to them. The result can be exported as MP4.

Enjoy 30+ video templates like intros, ads, movie trailers, family videos, SSM-related videos, and many others. These templates can be customized by adding scenes and changing the image order.

Unfortunately, you can’t change the template’s color scheme, but you can upload the video directly to YouTube after it’s done.

Fastreel comes in a limited free version that lets you save videos in 480p quality and having a watermark and an unlimited version with higher quality videos and full features.

You can choose to be billed per video, monthly, or annually. Simply log in via Google, Facebook, or create your own Movavi ID and get started.

Let’s see some of Fastreel’s core features:

  • Diverse template gallery
  • Create movies and slideshows from scratch
  • Automated tools for muting, compressing, and reversing
  • Full video tutorial toolkit
  • No required download or installation

Fastreel by Movavi

This is a great online video editor tool that will help you create the best photo montages with professional features.
Check the price Visit website

Adobe Creative Cloud Express

Adobe Creative Cloud Express is a great editing tool for mobile and web that makes it easy to create web pages, short videos, social graphics, and other awesome graphics-related things.

With Creative Cloud Express, you’ll get full access to a plethora of premium templates, fonts, backgrounds, and much much more. That’s not all. You can add your own brand and style to make everything unique.

Turn your texts and photos into awesome collages and montages you will remember, and share them with your friends through social media.

You can create your own web story for everyone to see with the multitude of options and customization tools that will help you tell it.

The software is available as a standalone subscription or as part of the plentiful Adobe Creative Cloud plan which gives you access to lots of graphic design and editing apps.

Let’s have a look at Adobe Creative Cloud Express key features:

  • Create posts in a matter of seconds
  • Upload your creations on social media
  • Make moving statements
  • Create branded stories

Adobe Creative Cloud Express

This Adobe product is a great web-based or software-based graphic design app that will help you create awesome video montages.
Free trial Visit website

Canva online video maker

Thanks to Canva, you can make high-quality videos without having a professional background in video editing. You will find that the software is easy to use and lots of fun as well.

Making videos every day will be bliss thanks to the simple drag-and-drop tool that makes everything so easy to do, from uploading photos to inserting titles and other text.

The result will be a compelling video made in a matter of minutes that will tell your story, the way you want it to be told and seen. You can choose from one of the tool’s pre-made templates.

What’s cool about Canva is that it’s a free online video editor, so it doesn’t require any download or money to use it. It is available to you anytime, anywhere, from any device.

Their library is stocked with thousands of templates, animated graphics, music tracks that you can add to your videos, even other free stock videos, all for you to use and create stuff.

After creating the video, you can download it without any watermarks and post it online on social media or do whatever you want with it.

⇒ Get Canva

Wevideo

When we talk about Wevideo, we talk about an online editor that is easy, fast, and flexible. This web-based software lets you create awesome videos like a pro in no time.

Add awesome features like a green screen for big-budget looks without having to deal with the cost of difficulty, or edit your videos without having to worry about upload time.

Additionally, you can choose from one of the multiple file formats or templates to stand out on social media by bringing your own character into the videos and making them unique.

All of these are available from a multitude of devices. You can use the app from any browser, and you can create videos that are compatible with any type of display, be it web, mobile, laptops, or giant smart TVs.

You don’t have to worry about stock content anymore! Wevideo lets you go copyright-free with a wide selection of stock templates, photos, and graphic content.

These include over 1 million pieces of videos, images, and music tracks included in the Essentials stock library that is commercially licensed, royalty-free and included in the WeVideo’s business plans.

⇒ Try Wevideo

Moovly

Moovly is another great online video maker tool. You can make videos from scratch or choose one of the many available templates that they offer.

Choose one of the professionally created templates from Moovly’s growing list. You will surely find one that fits your needs.

Thanks to Moovly, you don’t have to be an expert to use professional features and create professional-looking work! You can add voice-overs using one of the artificial voices, or automatically generate and translate subtitles.

Moreover, you can apply stunning and epic visual effects to your text and photos with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Moovly is a powerful, cloud-based editor that works with any browser, so it is compatible with all devices, without having to download and install anything. All you need is an internet connection and a creative spirit.

Besides the in-built templates and other visual and audio additions, you can also add your own photos, sounds, and music to use in the videos.

If you still feel like you don’t have enough content at your disposal, know that you can purchase 100 million additional media from the immense iStock library of Getty Images.

⇒ Try Moovly

That’s about it for our article today. We’ve included some great video editors and makers that will let you express yourself.

Did you enjoy this list? Here’s another great one of the best software for Windows 10 PCs that are a must-have for every user out there.

We strongly encourage you to leave any feedback regarding the subject, or any other suggestions you have in the comment section below.

7 Best Online Video Editors Without Watermark

When using free resources such as software and online services to manage and edit video clips, you are not always free to work as you see fit.

In most cases, these tools have obvious limitations. Oftentimes, you also get a watermark included in the package.

Essentially the watermark is nothing more than a digital mark (usually the logo) that identifies the author or the product of a given file, video or photo.

So, are there any online tools that allow you to edit and format videos that do not forcefully insert their own watermark? Read on to learn more.

What are the best video merger without watermark?

Adobe Creative Cloud – Professional-level tools

Adobe Creative Cloud is an extremely polished video editing software tool that makes all your worries about dreadful watermarks added to videos go away.

Its excellent user interface is intuitive, and straightforward, and requires zero experience to use it. Even so, you may create visually stunning graphics with ease.

Start by clicking the plus button on the web or in the iOS app, then take your time to add interesting media content to your slides.

You have infinite options in terms of images, icons, logos, video clips, and not only. They are all waiting to be used if you want to create something truly unique.

The pre-designed layouts give you a professional look, that’s for sure. As for that final touch, select one of the free songs or add music/voice by uploading your own track to send the right message.

Adobe Express includes several useful features that will help you enhance your design as desired.

These include a wide range of professionally designed fonts, pre-built video themes and layouts, social media optimization solutions, and more.

Its versatility shows in the fact that it is available for multiple platforms, with an automatic sync option. Your work is automatically synced across the web and the iOS Creative Cloud Express Post, Spark Page, and Spark Video mobile app.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Express truly helps you create visually stunning graphics with ease, so give it a try!
Check price Visit Website

Canva – Best drag-and-drop editor

When it comes to intuitive, but very effective video editing, it does not get much better than Canva.

Canva is a full-featured editor for all sorts of visual content, including social media posts, photo editing, presentations, and of course, videos.

This online video editing tool makes your job way easier with its built-in video templates. It has a wide range of templates for various styles.

Start off with that, and then you can build your project with your own video footage. The whole process is based on drag and drop, so you can easily make any adjustments in terms of placement, size, and even color.

Canva also includes a lot of free-to-use stock images and videos, along with many useful objects like graphs, and arrows. These will make your videos easier to follow and probably more engaging.

Once you finished up your video, you can add an audio backtrack or integrate Canva’s pre-set audio effects.

This is one of the simplest video editors you can use online, both in the browser and on mobile. It offers handy solutions for collaboration and is the way to go if you plan to create other types of visual projects.

Note that Canva’s free version does have some limitations. While it doesn’t place watermarks on your video per se, some of the elements in its gallery are premium-only and get watermarked if you use them with the free version.

Canva

Use this online drag-and-drop editor to integrate everything you need to make your videos stand out!
Free trial Visit Website

Video Toolbox – Best for non-professional editors

Video Toolbox online video editing

Video Toolbox is perhaps one of the best free web resources for editing and managing videos.

You can load your videos of up to 1500 MB (should be enough for non-professional videos) and also crop and merge video files.

In order to use this resource, you need to create a free account. Once activated, you can let your imagination take over.

⇒ Get Video Toolbox

Clipchamp – Most intuitive online editor

clipchamp online video editor

The next tool on the list is ClipChamp. This solution also offers an advanced editor in which there is an extensive library of images you can use in your projects (premium version).

To create your own videos, just upload the photos and distribute them on the timeline.

You can also apply filters and effects to the entire clip or to every single image. You also got a few options to manage the saturation and exposure of the photos.

The only flaw of the free version is that you can download SD videos (480p) only.

⇒ Get Clipchamp

Hippo Video – Useful integrations

Have you ever heard of the Hippo Video? Although the name of this website may seem like a joke, in reality, it is not. In fact, this is a useful tool that allows you to create and edit videos online.

Its features are very similar to those of ClipChamb.

The difference is that you can upload videos from a PC directly to Hippo Video, record another video using your webcam, and insert music tracks via cloud services such as Google Drive.

This platform is definitely worth giving it a try.

⇒ Get Hippo Video

Movie Maker Online – Great for beginners

Movie Maker Online editing options

Movie Maker Online lets you create videos from personal photos, which can be loaded on the platform and sorted according to your preferences.

You can easily add filters and effects to get a great result. As soon as you arrive at the homepage of the service, we will immediately understand that it is a very simple resource to use.

So, it is also suitable for those who do not have extensive knowledge of video editing.

If you are looking for a resource that allows you to edit or create a personal video without a watermark, then you must try out Movie Maker Online.

Create your user account to access the full range of options.

⇒ Get Movie Maker Online

Fastreel Video Editor – Integrated .SRT support

Movavi created an awesome online video editor software called Fastreel, which focuses on video enhancement tools such as image cropping, cutting, merging, compressing, rotating, resizing, and flipping.

Do not mistake Fastreel for an image editor, because it is not. The software can create slideshows and modify the images in the context of the video, but it does not edit the photos and save them as JPEG or PNG.

Additionally, you can add sounds and music to the background or mute existing ones, as well as add text, filters, watermarks, and even subtitles (SRT files).

Create slideshows and movies from nothing by uploading your own images, and videos, choosing the right transitions, applying some fitting music, and adding text when it’s needed.

Fastreel has more than 30 video templates, trailers, family videos, intros, advertisements, and much more. All of these are also customizable, meaning you can remove, add, and change the order of the scenes.

One thing you can’t do, however, is to change the template’s color scheme. The final result can be exported in MP4 format and uploaded directly to YouTube.

You can enjoy the service freely, but with limited conditions, or buy one of the many price plans that have all the features.

It has some smart automated tools and useful features like a split-screen, stop-motion support, and more. 

You can also change video speed, reverse it, or create loops. It’s easy and fast to get started. You just have to sign up for an account, no download or installation is required.

⇒ Get Fastreel

This is our list of video mergers without watermark. Which software did you choose? Leave us your answer in the comment section below.

How to easily install the wireless gamepad F710 driver

Many users complain that their Logitech F710 wireless gamepad is not working properly and although the gamepad is detected in Windows 10, it appears with a yellow mark in Windows Device Manager.

Moreover, there are some users stating that their Wireless gamepad F710 returned no driver found error message which is causing a lot of frustration.

We will explore in this article what are the exact steps you need to make in case your Wireless gamepad F710 is not working or the driver is unavailable, so make sure to keep on reading.

How can I install wireless gamepad F710 driver?

1. Use Device Manager

  1. Press Windows Key and R simultaneously to open the Run box.
  2. Type in devmgmt.msc and press OK.
  3. Next, locate the Other devices option and double click on it.
  4. Now right click on the Wireless Gamepad F7 and tap on Update Drivers.
  5. Finally, click on the Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software.
  6. Allow for the process to finish and restart your device.

2. Update the driver manually

  1. Open a new browser tab and access Logitech website.
  2. In the search bar type F710 and then select Wireless Gamepad F710.
  3. Next, locate on the page the Downloads section and click on Download now.
  4. Save the file on your device and run it.
  5. Once the process is finished make sure to restart your device.

3. Use a third party software

As it is already known, having updated drivers can avoid a wide range of issues, from improper malfunction of the software to a total lack of responsiveness.

To make things easier and more efficient, using dedicated and reliable third-party software that will help update all necessary drivers is the recommended approach.

⇒ Get Fortect Driver Updater

With this last recommendation, we will conclude our article. As you can see, updating the wireless gamepad F710 Windows 10 driver is not difficult at all.

Additionally, you can also check out this guide of the best Windows 10 gaming controllers and choose the one that best meets your gaming expectations.

You can update the drivers manually although in order to avoid any mistakes that can happen in the process, using a dedicated tool is recommended.

As always, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment in the dedicated section below if you have additional suggestions.

Acer Nitro 5 Touchpad not Working: 4 Ways to Fix it

Using the touchpad is one of the primary actions during our day-to-day work. Unfortunately, some Acer Nitro 5 users complain that their touchpad is not working.

This takes away an essential ease-of-use feature on their PCs. Fortunately, the issue can be easily fixed, as shown in this guide’s ensuing sections.

Why won’t my Acer laptop touchpad work?

A series of potential causes for the Acer Nitro 5 touchpad not working, from software to hardware problems. Below are some of them:

  • Faulty touchpad drivers: Sometimes, this issue is to an outdated or corrupt touchpad driver. You need to reinstall or update your driver to solve this problem.
  • Disabled touchpad: At times, this Acer Nitro 5 touchpad problem can occur simply because the touchpad is disabled. The solution to this is to enable it with the required shortcuts.
  • Outdated PC: Windows updates are important for keeping your PC running smoothly. Hence, you need to update your PC if it is outdated to prevent issues such as this.

What can I do if Acer Nitro 5 touchpad is not working?

1. Re-enable the touchpad

Sometimes, the Acer Nitro 5 touchpad might not be working because it has been somehow disabled knowingly or accidentally. To fix this, press the Fn key + F6 or F7 (or any function key that works for the touchpad) to enable it.

With this, the issue should be fixed for good.

2. Check for Windows updates

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and select Update & Security.
  2. From the left side, select Windows Update, then click on the Check for updates button from the right side.

An outdated PC is prone to different issues, including this Acer Nitro 5 touchpad not working problem. So, you need to keep your operating system updated at all times.

3. Update the touchpad driver

  1. Open Device Manager.
  2. Expand Mice and other pointing devices, right-click on the touchpad driver you need, and select Properties.
  3. Click on the Driver tab, then on Update Driver.
  4. Select Search automatically for drivers.

Unlike the manual option presented above, you can use a dedicated driver updating tool to automatically scan and fix any driver you need. Thus, you’ll always keep your components safe with much less effort.

Not only will it keep your driver’s troubles away, but the operating system will be constantly updated to the latest software version.

Moreover, a dedicated driver updater allows you to work with an extremely easy-to-use interface.

4. Uninstall the touchpad driver

  1. Press the Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
  2. Expand Mice and other pointing devices, right-click on the driver you need, and select Uninstall device.
  3. Click Uninstall for final confirmation.
  4. After the driver uninstallation is complete, restart your PC.
Note icon NOTE
Windows will automatically restore your deleted driver.

The solutions above are the best options you can find to fix the Acer Nitro 5 touchpad not working issue.

If you’re ever unable to install drivers on Windows 10, check a complete guide and find out some helpful information.

Let us know which one of the suggested solutions worked best for you. Thus, make sure you leave a comment in the section below.

FIX: Chromecast not connecting to Wi-Fi [Full Guide]

With Chromecast users can watch internet streamed video content a lot easier, all is needed is for the platform app to be supported by Google cast technology.

As many users have reported, it can happen sometimes, for the Chromecast device to not being able to connect to Wi-Fi, and there are a few reasons for this.

Most of the time, it can have something to do with a faulty internet connection, the distance where the Chromecast is located, and even Wi-Fi issues.

We will guide you in this article through the exact steps you need to make in order to ensure that Chromecast will start connecting to Wi-Fi once again.

How can I fix Chromecast not connecting to Wi-Fi?

1. Use the extender cable

In general, Chromecast can work without having to use the extender but since you are having trouble connecting it to the Wi-Fi we would recommend you try this first.

It can happen that the signal is not really good, therefore we would suggest that you connect your digital media player to the back of the TV.

Luckily you do not need to purchase an extender cable considering that Chromecast already comes with one, and you can use it.

2. Change the Dual band frequency

Next, if you have already tried the first recommend step and Chromecast still cannot connect with Wi-Fi, then we would suggest you check the dual-band frequency of your router and make the adjustments needed.

Make sure that you have your digital media player device on 2.5 GHz or 5 GHz and see if anything changes and if you are able to connect now.

If you have a TP-link router, here’s how you do it:

  1. Open your router’s control panel.
  2. Choose Advanced, and then click on Wireless Settings.
  3. Click the 2.4GHz option from the top of the window, and change the values in the Channel and Channel Width drop-downs.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Open the 5GHz option from the top of the window and perform the same steps as before.
  6. Activate the Save button to save your settings.

3. Restart your router

Although it may seem like a simple solution, most often it comes with amazing results, and it’s also an easy step to perform.

In order to reboot your router all you need to do is turn it on and off, but make sure to wait for 10 seconds before putting the router back on.

This should reset any faulty settings and once the router is on again try to connect Chromecast and see if it works this time.

4. Perform a hard reset

Our next recommendation, if none of the above steps worked, will be to perform a hard reset that will format the device, restoring it to the factory settings.

This action will delete all data and will revert the settings along with user preferences, offering a clean start so to speak.

You can format your device in the Google Home app from the Settings menu or through the reset button by pressing it gently for 25 seconds.

After the 25 seconds you should see a sharp LED light turned into a blinking red one. Once you release the button, the Led light will become flash white and the device will start to reboot.

Once the process is finished you can perform once again the same initial settings and try to connect your device to Wi-Fi.

This is about all. As you can see solving the connectivity Chromecast issues with your Wi-Fi router is easy to solve by following the steps indicated in this article.

If you have additional recommendations or suggestions, don’t hesitate to let us know in the dedicated section below.

Could not Open DS4 Exclusively: 4 Solutions to Use

Developed by Jays2Kings, DS4Windows is an easy-to-use program allowing users to play PC games using a DualShock 4. A few users have, however, run into the error, and could not open DS4 exclusively.

Without any question, DS4 is the best controller to play games, and the best way to play games is in the exclusive mode, so what do you do if DS4Windows can’t open exclusively?

This mode has particular requirements regarding the connection between the DS4Windows tool and other applications, and if they’re not met, the log file will show you the message Failed to enable exclusive mode.

Why are DS4Windows not opening?

We figure that a few elements may cause the DS4Windows program not to open. At the top of the list are the following:

  • Controller connection – Users have encountered this problem when their DS4 controller is incorrectly connected.
  • User privilege – You may be required to have administrative privileges, and in cases when you do not, you can expect this issue.
  • Firewall or antivirus – Sometimes, the issues is triggered because your firewall or antivirus blocks out the program.
  • System requirements – Generally, you should only use programs that match your computer because falling short of system requirements is often a recipe for bugs and computer issues.

How can I fix the Could not open DS4 exclusively error?

1. Manually download the appropriate drivers

  1. Download the latest InputMapper HIDGuardian drivers.
  2. After downloading, click run and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
  3. Follow the next step carefully.

2. Change the properties of your controller in Registry Editor

2.1 Obtain the Hardware IDs

  1. Press Windows + R, type control, and hit Enter.
    could not open ds4 exclusively
  2. Go to Hardware & Sounds, and click View devices & printers.
  3. Locate the Wireless Controller, right-click on it, and go to Properties.
  4. Click on the Hardware tab, then in Device Functions, choose HID-Compliant Game Controller, and click on Properties.
    could not open ds4 exclusively
  5. Open the Details tab from Property, click the drop-down menu, and choose Hardware IDs.
  6. Copy the first three text strings in a notepad file, then close the window.

2.2 Modify registry values

  1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
    could not open ds4 exclusively
  2. Go to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HidGuardian\Parameters
  3. Right-click on Affected Devices and select Modify.
  4. Paste that 3-string code you previously copied in the Value box at the top (only paste 1 code per line and ensure the last line is left blank).
    could not open ds4 exclusively
  5. Click OK to save.
  6. Restart your computer. Your DualShock 4 should now be in exclusive Mode.

3. Make sure all connections are allowed

  1. Open Settings by pressing Windows + I and select Update & Security.Update & Security
  2. From the left-hand pane, click on Windows Security.Windows Security
  3. On the right-hand pane, click on Open Windows Security.Open Windows Security
  4. Select Firewall & network protection.Firewall & protection
  5. Click to Allow an app or service through the firewall.Allow an app through firewall
  6. A new window will open. Here, locate the DS4Windows application on the list.
  7. Make sure all connections are allowed, incoming as well as outgoing.
  8. Save the settings and exit.
  9. You can now check if DS4Windows is working in exclusive mode.
Note icon NOTE
If you are using a third-party antivirus, change the settings from that application as well.

4. Uninstall the latest Windows 10 Updates

  1. Open Settings by pressing Windows + I and select Update & Security.Update & Security
  2. Select Windows update from the left-hand pane and click View update history.
    could not open ds4 exclusively
  3. Click on Uninstall updates option from the top of the window.
    could not open ds4 exclusively
  4. Look for the latest update, right-click, and then select Uninstall.
  5. After the process is complete, restart your PC.

Indeed, one of these methods will do the trick, and you can play your favorite games as intended: in exclusive mode.

Since you are a hardcore gamer, do not hesitate to look at the best Razer laptops for gaming. This well-recognized brand won’t disappoint you.

If you have any questions or want to thank us, please use the comments section below, and we’ll respond.

iCloud Drive not in Finder [Quick Solutions]

Several Mac users take advantage of iCloud Drive to sync their important work and personal files and folders. However, after the recent update, several users have reported that the iCloud Drive is not in Finder.

This problem seems to be a common affair with macOS beta updates. The Beta version of the OS allows the enthusiast to test and try new features before being released to the public.

However, the beta updates usually consist of bugs that can break some functionalities. Fortunately, in this case, you can recover and fix the iCloud Drive not in Finder issue by following a few quick troubleshooting steps.

What can I do if the iCloud Drive is not in Finder?

1. Make sure the sync is complete 

After installing an update, iCloud Drive will sync all the data from the cloud to your computer. Depending on the file size, the sync may take a long time to complete.

This holds even if the iCloud Drive content existed on your Mac before. You can verify if the iCloud Drive sync is still in progress from the Finder.

Open Finder and check if there is a circular loading bar present next to the iCloud Drive tab. A circular bar indicates the files are still syncing. So, wait for it to complete the process before you look for the folder in Finder. 

You may also want to check if your Internet connection is working. If there is no loading bar or sync has completed, and you still can’t find the iCloud Drive in Finder, make sure it is enabled to show in Finder.

2. Check if iCloud Drive is enabled in Finder Preferences 

  1. Open Finder on your Mac.iCloud Drive not in Finder
  2. Next, click go to Finder and choose Preferences from the menu bar.
  3. Open the Sidebar tab in the top left corner. 
  4. Under the Show these items in the sidebar section, check the iCloud Drive option.
  5. Close the Finder window to apply the changes. Open a new window and check if the iCloud Drive is now visible in Finder.

While the iCloud Drive app is enabled to show in Finder by default, a buggy update can tweak or reset the setting without user interference.

One way to fix this issue is to recheck and enable the iCloud Drive option to appear in Finder, as described above.

3. Sign out of iCloud and then sign in

  1. Open System Preferences and choose Apple ID.
  2. Click the Overview tab from the left pane.
  3. At the bottom, click the Sign Out button. You will be prompted to download data before signing out. You can ignore this message and proceed to sign out.
  4. Once you have logged out, open System Preferences again and open the Apple ID tab.
  5. Enter your Apple credentials and log in to your Apple account.

If a glitch is preventing the iCloud Drive from syncing, try to sign out and sign in again to sync the folder and files. While none of your data will be lost, you may have to wait till iCloud retrieves and syncs with your computer.

4. Recover deleted iCloud Drive folder 

  1. From the Dock, open Trash.
  2. Look for any files or folders that you may want to restore.
  3. Right-click on the file or folder and choose Put Back. This will restore the file to its original location.

If you are looking for missing folders or files in your iCloud Drive, it is possible that the macOS update may have moved or deleted them. Fortunately, you can restore deleted files and folders in the Trash.

5. Rollback to the previous version of macOS

It is possible that the macOS beta or even the public may have bugs resulting in the disappearance of iCloud Drive in Finder. As a last resort, you can revert to an earlier version of macOS.

This can be cumbersome, but you will be able to restore your computer to normal working condition. Before performing a rollback, make sure to back your computer for new data.

Next, delete the macOS update, and reinstall the earlier version of the OS.

6. Access content directly from the iCloud Drive

  1. Go to iCloud.com and log in with your Apple credentials.
  2. Open the iCloud Drive section and search for the missing file or folder.
  3. After locating the file, you can manually download the files to your computer. Select the file and click on Download. However, manual downloading is not possible for folders.

As a last resort, you can access the files and folder from iCloud Drive directly from the iCloud website. This is handy if you find the iCloud Drive on your Mac is missing any important file or folder.

The iCloud Drive not in Find problem is often reported on MacBooks with the latest beta or public release installed. Make sure iCloud Drive is allowed to show in Finder from Preferences.

Additionally, try to log out and log in, check for pending sync or revert to an earlier macOS version to resolve the issue.

Since file management is essential on your Mac, make sure to check out this guide on how to unzip split zip files.

These are some of the solutions that are confirmed to work when iCloud Drive is not in Finder. If you happen to know other tips too, let us know in the comments section below.

FIX: Video driver crashed error on Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 is a decent Windows game, but it can still have occasional hiccups. One hiccup Borderlands 3 players have reported on forums is a Video driver crash error message.

That issue arises when players try to start Borderlands 3 or shortly after they start playing it. The full error message says:

Video driver crashed and was reset. Make sure your video drivers are up to date. Exiting…

Assuming that you’re no stranger to this problem, don’t hesitate to take a closer look at the below tips and apply them one by one.

How can I fix Borderlands 3 video driver crashed error?

1. Update your graphics card’s driver

Well, the above error message says it all when it suggests, Make sure your video drivers are up to date. You can do that by scanning your PC’s devices with driver updater software.

That software will tell you if your graphics card has an outdated driver and enable you to quickly update its driver.

2. Reinstall your GPU’s driver

  1. Right-click the Start button to open the Win + X menu that incorporates various shortcuts.
  2. Click Device Manager to open that utility’s window.
  3. Next, expand the Display adapters category by double-clicking it.
    Display adapters category video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  4. Right-click your PC’s graphics card to select an Uninstall device option.
  5. Then you’ll need to select the Delete the driver software for this device checkbox.
    Uninstall Device window video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  6. Select the Uninstall option to confirm.
  7. Thereafter, Windows will reinstall a GPU driver when you restart your PC. You can also click Action, then go to Scan for hardware changes in Device Manager to reinstall a graphics card’s driver.

Note: Windows won’t necessarily install the latest driver for your PC’s graphics card after restarting. This resolution is recommended if your PC already has the latest driver for its graphics card.

3. Delete Borderlands 3’s Config folder

  1. First, open the Explorer window by clicking the File Explorer taskbar button.
  2. Next, open this folder in File Explorer: This PC\Documents\My Games\Borderlands 3\Saved\
  3. Select the Config subfolder in the Saved folder.
  4. Click the Home tab shown directly below.
    The Home tab video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  5. Press the Delete button on that tab to erase the selected Config subfolder.
  6. Then try playing Borderlands 3 after deleting that folder.

4. Change the launch options for Borderlands 3

  1. Open the Steam client software for Borderlands 3.
  2. Then select Library in Steam.
  3. Right-click the listed Borderlands 3 game and select Properties.
  4. Click the Set Launch Options button on the General tab of the window that opens.
    Set Launch Options button video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  5. Enter the following text in the Launch Options window: -USEALLAVAILABLECORES -sm4 -d3d10 -nomansky -lowmemory -novsync
  6. Press the OK button on the Launch Options window.
    Launch Options window video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  7. Restart Steam, and try playing Borderlands 3 again.

5. Extend GPU processing time

  1. Open Run from the Windows Systems folder on the Start menu.
  2. To launch the Registry Editor, input this Run command in the Open text box and click OK: regedit
  3. Browse to this key in the Registry Editor: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
    The GraphicsDrivers key video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  4. Select the GraphicsDrivers key.
  5. If you can’t see a TdrDelay DWORD for the GraphicsDrivers key, right-click a space on the right side of Registry Editor to select the New and DWORD options.
  6. Enter TdrDelay as the title for the GraphicsDrivers key’s new DWORD.
  7. Double-click TdrDelay to open an Edit DWORD window for it.
    Edit DWORD window video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  8. Delete the current number in the Value data box.
  9. Enter 8 in the Value data box.
  10. Click the OK button to close the Edit DWORD window.
  11. Restart your desktop or laptop after editing the registry as outlined above.

6. Turn Borderlands 3 back to DirectX 11

  1. Open File Explorer in Windows 10.
  2. Then browse to this folder path in File Explorer: This PC\Documents\My Games\Borderlands 3\Saved\ Config\WindowsNoEditor
  3. Double-click the GameUserSettings.ini file in that folder to open it in Notepad.
    WindowsNoEditor folder video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  4. Scroll down the file until you see the PreferredGraphicsAPI=DX12 setting.
  5. Delete DX12 from that setting and replace it with DX11. Then the setting should be PreferredGraphicsAPI=DX11 as in the screenshot directly below.
    PreferredGraphicsAPI setting video driver crashed and was reset borderlands 3
  6. Click the File menu button in Notepad.
  7. Finally, select the Save option.

Players have confirmed the above resolutions for Borderland 3’s Video driver crashed and was reset error to work. That doesn’t necessarily mean those potential fixes are guaranteed to work for everybody, but they’re certainly worth a shot.

If you still need further potential fixes, your best bet is to check out the Borderlands 3 help page on the 2K Support site.

Click the Submit a ticket button there. Then you can fill out a support form for the Borderlands 3 game and send it. Even more, we’ve got the perfect guide if Borderlands 3 is crashing.

Which of the above solutions worked for you? Just let us know in the comments area below.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 review: A perfect uninstaller app

Removing certain applications can be a tedious task, especially since many apps tend to leave leftover files and registry entries that can interfere with your system.

Therefore, it’s always better to use a dedicated uninstaller software that can remove any application and all its files with just a couple of clicks.

Today we want to show you one of those applications, so without any ado, let’s take a closer look at the Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 and see what does this software have to offer.

What is Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 and should you use it?

Usability

Quick and simple installation without unwanted applications

The setup process for Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 is pretty straightforward, and you can install the software and start running it in less than two minutes.

Once you start the setup, the only thing that you need to configure is the theme that you’ll be using. There are only two themes available, but that should be enough for most users.

It’s worth mentioning that the software doesn’t come with any additional or unwanted applications, so you won’t get any offers to install anything except the core software.

This also means that there are no hidden settings that you need to disable to avoid installing any potentially unwanted software.

Clean and easy to use interface

As soon as you start the software, you’ll be presented with a system overview. In the left pane, you can see all the features listed so you can access them quickly.

The left pane is designed to access all other features of the app, and you can expand each section for more information about apps or more features.

In the right pane, you can see recently installed applications, as well as a quick overview of all the installed applications and plug-ins on your PC.

Overall, the interface is pretty simple to use, and you won’t have any issues while using Ashampoo Uninstaller 10, even as a first-time user.

Features

Easy application removal

The main feature of the Ashampoo Uninstaller is its ability to remove applications. You can see the list of all installed applications on your PC alongside information such as file size, rating, and installation date.

It’s worth mentioning that the software has a powerful search feature that you can use to easily find any application that you want.

The filter feature is available as well, allowing you to hide redistributables, frameworks, and Microsoft applications. You can also choose to show only the applications that are installed on a specific drive, which will surely come in handy.

To uninstall an application, you just have to select it from the list and click the Uninstall button and choose if you want to perform an in-depth uninstall and create a restore point.

Once the software is removed, you need to confirm that the original uninstallation is confirmed and the software can proceed with the removal of files and registry entries.

Once the process is done, you can see the list of files and registry entries that were removed in the log file.

It’s important to mention that you can enable the option to hide the original uninstaller from the settings, which can come in handy if you don’t want to deal with uninstall dialogs.

With Ashampoo Uninstaller, you can select and uninstall multiple applications, which makes the uninstalling process more convenient and faster.

In case any leftover files are detected, the Ashampoo Uninstaller will alert you about them, and you can take a look at these files and choose to leave them, remove them or wipe them permanently from your PC.

The software also allows you to view all large applications or the ones that have been rated negatively which can come in handy if you want to free up space or just remove problematic applications.

Log files are also available, allowing you to view the list of all removed applications, along with the detailed log that shows each removed file and registry entry.

Logging for all installed applications

Ashampoo Uninstaller has a powerful installation logging feature that will monitor all your installed applications and each created file.

This feature isn’t enabled by default, but you can enable it easily with just a single click in the Overview tab.

If you don’t want to enable this feature, you can install applications simply by dragging and dropping the setup file to the Installation tab.

By doing so, the software will index all files thus ensuring that all of them are removed when you want to uninstall the application.

When you try to install certain software, you’ll get a window on top of your screen, and once the installation is finished, you just need to click the Installation completed button.

Once the software is installed, you can find it in the Logged section, and you can view its log file to see which files and registry entries were created during the installation.

While the installation logging feature is useful, we found the notification window to be a bit large, and we hope that this will change in future versions of the software.

Windows Universal apps removal

In addition to standard applications, you can use Ashampoo Uninstaller to remove Windows Universal apps.

All installed Universal apps will be listed, and you can delete them just like any regular app. Keep in mind that you can delete the preinstalled Windows apps as well, which can be useful if you want to keep only the essential apps.

If you have multiple user accounts, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can delete preinstalled applications for all accounts simultaneously, which can come in handy.

Of course, you can restore all default Windows Universal apps with just a single click of a button if you need to.

The performance impact to monitor the resource usage

The Impact section lets you have a quick overview of the resource usage on your PC, and it will list the applications that are using most of your CPU or RAM.

In addition, you can see the boot time of certain autorun applications, as well as the number of entries and services associated with a certain application.

You can click on each application for more information, and you’ll be able to see all the application processes, related services, and autorun entries.

While this feature is useful in providing information such as related services, autorun entries, and resource usage, we found it a bit lacking in terms of functionality.

Our main complaint is that the feature only shows you apps that have the most impact on your system and not all currently open applications. This is just a minor complaint, and it doesn’t affect this feature too much.

Browser plug-in removal

Another welcome feature that Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 offers is the ability to remove browser plug-ins and extensions.

Using this software, you can see all installed plug-ins and extensions for all browsers on your PC. Removing a plug-in is simple and you can remove it from any browser without starting the browser.

Although this feature is useful, we wish that there was a way to filter or at least separate extensions from plug-ins. Currently, all plug-ins and extensions are bundled into a single category, which makes navigation harder than it needs to be.

This can also lead to removing some of the essential plug-ins, and we wish that those plug-ins were somehow labeled and made easier to differentiate from the rest.

Snapshots and in-depth file comparison

Using the Snapshot feature, users can easily compare all the changes made to their system. Thanks to this feature, you can see every modified file or registry entry.

Keep in mind that to use this feature, you need to create snapshots manually. First, you need to create your original snapshot and after a while, you need to create the other one for comparison.

All this is done through a built-in wizard, and even if you’re creating snapshots for the first time, you won’t have any problems using this feature.

This is an advanced feature, and while basic users won’t have too much use for it, the advanced users that want to keep track of individual files will find it more than useful.

⇒ Get Ashampoo Uninstaller 10

Drive cleaner, registry optimizer, and other additional features

Drive Cleaner, Registry Cleaner, and Internet Cleaner

Ashampoo Uninstaller offers a Drive Cleaner feature that will scan your system for any unwanted files and help you remove them.

Using this feature you can easily find and remove temporary files, log files, history files, search files, etc. All these files are nonessential and in most cases, you can just remove them.

Of course, you can view a detailed log and see individual files that you will remove using the Drive Cleaner feature.

We wish that this feature could as well detect large files or folders, but hopefully, that functionality will be added in the future versions of the software.

Registry Cleaner works similarly to the Drive Cleaner, and it will detect all incorrect or corrupted registry entries that you have in your registry.

To make sure that you don’t delete an important registry path, you can always view a detailed log and see exactly which registry entries will be deleted.

Browser Cleaner feature allows you to easily clear your browser cache from all installed browsers on your PC, simultaneously.

Before you had to open each browser and choose the option to delete the cache, but with Ashampoo Uninstaller 10, you can clear the cache on all your browsers in a matter of seconds, without even opening your browser.

StartUp Tuner and Service Manager

StartUp Tuner and Service Manager are a couple of features that advanced users might appreciate. With StartUp Tuner, you can easily manage your startup applications.

Unlike with regular Startup manager in Windows, with this one you can even add startup entries along with startup arguments for each entry.

Service Manager works similarly to the Services window in Windows and it allows you to stop the services or change their startup type.

All the startup settings are available at your fingertips, so you won’t have to open any additional windows to change the startup type or stop a specific service.

Undeleter, File Wiper, and File Associator

Ashampoo Uninstaller can also help you restore files with its Undeleter feature, but the feature that we want to focus on is File Wiper.

With this feature you can permanently delete files from your hard drive by using four different deletion methods, thus making your files irrecoverable.

This is extremely useful if you need to delete sensitive files for good. The feature also lets you delete files from the empty space on your hard drive thus making already deleted files unable to recover.

Registry Defrag and Unlocker

Lastly, the two remaining features are Registry Defrag that will scan your registry for any fragmentation and help you optimize it to run better.

The last feature is the Unlocker, and with it, you should be able to unlock protected folders and files on your PC.

You can see the list of locked files along with the application that is using it. To unlock the file, simply select it and choose one of the many available options from the Unlock menu.

Conclusion

Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 is a great application if you need to remove any application or multiple applications permanently from your PC.

The software can remove Win32 applications as well as Windows Universal apps, so it’s perfect if you want to remove any built-in Windows apps in just a couple of clicks.

To top it off, the software has some great additional features such as Impact overview or Snapshot manager that should help you keep a close eye on your PC and your files.

There are few minor drawbacks, and in our opinion, a couple of features could be expanded with additional functionality.

We had some complaints with certain user interface elements, such as the Installation log window that felt too cumbersome at times.

Pros
Easy to use
Can completely remove applications
Ability to remove leftover files and registry entries
Can remove built-in Windows apps
Browser plug-ins and extensions removal
Cons
Certain UI elements felt too big

Overall, these aren’t any real dealbreakers and we’re positive that the software will keep improving in the future.

If you require powerful uninstaller software, then Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 is a perfect choice, it’s simple, easy to use, and it packs a lot of great features.

Have you tried Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 or any other uninstaller software? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below.

FIX: AppModel-Runtime Event ID 69 [Full Guide]

Computer errors are bound to appear, and one issue that many users reported is AppModel-Runtime Event ID 69.

This error usually appears in the Event Log and it doesn’t cause problems on your PC, but it can affect Windows Store applications or some of the default Windows apps in some rare cases.

In this guide, we’re going to show you the best methods that you can use to fix this problem once and for all on your Windows 10 PC, so let’s get started.

How can I fix AppModel-Runtime Event ID 69?

1. Run the wsreset command

  1. Press Windows Key + R shortcut.
  2. When the Run dialog opens, type wsreset.exe.
  3. Now click OK or press Enter.
  4. Wait for the process to finish.

Once the process is finished, check if the AppModel-Runtime Event ID 69 error is gone.

2. Run the built-in troubleshooter

  1. Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to the Update & Security section.
  3. From the menu on the left, select Troubleshoot. In the right pane, choose Additional troubleshooters.
  4. Select Microsoft Store Apps and click on Run the troubleshooter.

This is a simple solution, but several users reported that it helped them with this error, so be sure to try it as well.

3. Reinstall the app that is giving you this error

  1. Check which Windows app is giving you this error. You can do that from the Event Log. In our example, it’s Windows Photos, but it might be a different one for you.
  2. Press Windows Key + X and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
    powershell admin twinui not working
  3. Now enter the following command: get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* | remove-appxpackage

  4. After the command is successfully executed, open the Microsoft Store and download the removed app again.
Note icon NOTE

4. Check for missing dependencies

  1. Navigate to the following directory: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps
  2. After gaining access to the WindowsApps directory, start PowerShell as administrator.
  3. Run the following command: Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsCalculator
  4. Pay close attention to the names of the listed dependencies.
  5. Go to the WindowsApps directory and make sure that all dependencies directories exist in the WindowsApps folder.
  6. Create a new folder in WindowsApps directory and name it: Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1510.13020.0_neutral_split.scale-100_8wekyb3d8bbwe
  7. Go to the following directory: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1510.13020.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
  8. Locate the AppxManifest.xml file and paste it to the directory that you created in Step 6.
  9. Go back to PowerShell and run the following command: Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1510.13020.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
  10. Once the app is successfully removed, download it again from the Microsoft Store.

This is an advanced solution, and the commands that we used might not work for you and help you fix the AppModel-Runtime Event ID 69 error.

In our example, we used the Calculator app and its file paths, but on your PC remove the app that is shown in the Event Log as the cause of this error.

Even more, if necessary, check out this guide dedicated to opening the Windowsapps folder and solving all related issues.

Note icon NOTE

Error AppModel-Runtime Event ID 69 shouldn’t cause any problems on your computer, and you’ll only notice it if you open the Event Log.

In most cases, you can leave this error be, but if it starts interfering with your PC, be sure to try some of our solutions. You can also use one of these great repair toolkits and you’ll see the difference.

Don’t hesitate to let us know which solution worked for you. Feel free to use the comments area below in that regard.

How to fix Biomutant bad FPS issues on Windows 10

Biomutant is a great, open-world, RPG action game that brings you to a post-apocalyptic, luxuriant scenery that could excite all genre players across the board.

However, being a pretty new addition to the gaming lore, it has its share of issues and one of them is that players can suffer FPS drops even with excellent configuration PCs.

A user on Reddit explains the situation in detail:

The game always just started, I play it without problems +100 fps in 1080p and high settings, but after a while (generally 5-10 minutes) and passing through certain areas where there is a lot of volumetric fog there are generally FPS drops to a minimum of 25 FPS and looking at the MSI Afterburner, The GPU in those areas lowers its performance from 100% to 55% more or less.

Even under the resolution (720p) and all the settings on low, it continues in the same amount of FPS and the GPU working at 50-55%. It is the only game that happens to me, I doubt that it suffers a bottleneck, I wanted to know if one has happened and solved it, thank you.

Others have described similar issues even if they have powerful computers with plenty of resources.

This is a new problem that was just discovered and there are no official fixes or patches but we will try to help you with some possible solutions.

How can I fix Biomutant FPS issues on Windows 10?

1. Update the drivers for your controller

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the list.device manager
  2. Click on the Sound, video and game controllers section to expand it.
  3. Right-click on your controller driver and select Update driver.
  4. Select the first option, Search automatically for drivers.
  5. The system will find a default driver online and install it.

A user discovered that he solved this FPS problem after updating the drivers to his Bluetooth controller so you will need to perform the steps above to get this done.

2. Run the game in high priority

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Task Manager.
  2. Click on the Details tab.
  3. Find Biomutant and right-click on it.
  4. Then click on Set priority and select High.

Running the game in high priority will force the sistem to favor the game to any other unnecessary processes and the performance should improve.

We hope that our solutions helped you fix this annoying FPS problem with Biomutant in Windows 10.

You might also be interested in our guide on how to get the best graphics in Biomutant and have the best possible experience.

If you know about any other solutions or you have any advice, leave us a line in the Comments sections below.